Natives protest violence

Matt Kieltyka
24 Hours Vancouver: http://vancouver.24hrs.ca
Wednesday, April 26, 2006

[SISIS note: The following mainstream news article is provided for reference only, as an example of how mainstream media treats indigenous resistance to genocide. Mainstream media often presents biased and distorted information, lacking pertinent facts and/or context. Inclusion of this article on our site should not be considered an endorsement by SISIS.]

Hundreds of frustrated natives took to the streets of Vancouver to show their distain for a violent police raid on an unarmed Six Nations camp in Ontario last week.

Police allegedly assaulted women and used excessive force, sparking nation-wide protests from other First Nations.

"We're here to show our solidarity to the Six Nations and send a message that we'll stand in unity to protect each other," said Annita McPhee, one of the organizers of yesterday's rally at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

"They were unarmed but police beat them up with batons."

David Dennis, vice-president of the United First Nations, told 24 hours that the incident has shaken aboriginal people's faith in the government.

"You can throw out all these good relationships [the government claims to have]," he said. "We're not satisfied with the violence and how police dealt with this, and if they do it again we'll have lots more of [these protests] across the country."

More than 300 people took part in yesterday's rally, which ended with a march to Stanley Park where protesters briefly blockaded the Lion's Gate Bridge, backing up traffic.