On Friday evening (September 15, 1995) an international vigil for First Nations people took place in the Peace Arch Park at the U.S./Canadian border. The vigil, calling for a peaceful resolution to the stand-offs in Gustafson Lake and Ipperwash, consisted of prayers, ceremonies and honour songs. Information leaflets were also handed out. While this took place, 4 RCMP officers conducted surveillance on the vigil participants from the roof of a customs building.

As members of the Shuswap Nation, organizers and supporters of the vigil were leaving the site they were stopped by RCMP officers and immigration officials on Highway 99 enroute to Vancouver. RCMP officers threatened a number of the passengers in the 4 car caravan. Also, in a violation of the Jay Treaty (which states that First Nations people can travel freely between the so-called U.S./Canadian border), ID was taken from a number of First Nations people in the caravan. The RCMP also threatened to arrest an outside observer of this incident and charge them with "obstruction". Why does the Canadian government and the RCMP continue to pursue this path of confrontation at yet another prayers vigil?

In a separate incident, Bill Simmonds (sp?), a member of International Indian Treaty Council (an NGO with observer status at the UN) was refused entry into Canada from the U.S. and is currently being detained by Canadian immigration authorities at Vancouver International Airport.

We appeal to progressive people around the world to protest against this violation of human rights."

Sovereignty For First Nations!!

In solidarity,

Arm The Spirit

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Arm The Spirit is an autonomist/anti-imperialist collective based in Toronto, Canada. Our focus includes a wide variety of material, including political prisoners, national liberation struggles, armed communist resistance, anti-fascism, the fight against patriarchy, and more. We regularly publish our writings, research, and translation materials in our magazine and bulletins called Arm The Spirit. For more information, contact:

Arm The Spirit
P.O. Box 6326, Stn. A
Toronto, Ontario
M5W 1P7 Canada

E-mail: ats@etext.org
WWW: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~ats
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Arm The Spirit operates a listserv called ats-l. This list carries articles and news items from ATS and other left-radical organizations on subjects such as political prisoners, anti- fascism, the struggle against patriarchy and homophobia, national liberation struggles, armed anti-imperialist/anti-capitalist resistance, and more. If you would like to subscribe to this list, send a message with "subscribe ats-l" in the subject header and your e-mail address in the message body to ats@etext.org.