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The resistance of this 500 member nation against an unremitting, oppressive, industrial invasion of their land and destruction of their way of life by numerous, extremely powerful, multi-million and multi-billion dollar resource corporations is nothing short of astounding and is becoming legendary in the annals of aboriginal resistance struggles.

The Lubicons have fought back to defend their land and lives by patiently building a global network of organizations and individuals to support their legal battles, boycotts, lobbying, negotiations with the Canadian government and - when all else failed - a blockade.

International public support has immensely aided their courageous and principled stand to protect their fragile boreal forest homeland -- some of North America's resource richest land -- from even greater depradation.

But time is running out. How long the Lubicon can endure the merciless onslaught depends on you.

"I hope people will understand we're trying to survive from day to day and need all the help we can get from the general public. It's a battle against time. We realize that and the other side knows that."
- Lubicon Chief Bernard Ominayak

THE LUBICON CREE

THE OIL BONANZA: NOT A PENNY FOR THE LUBICON

A BOYCOTT SO SUCCESSFUL, THEY SHUT IT DOWN

In 1991, at the request of the Lubicon Nation, Friends of the Lubicon began a consumer boycott of Daishowa paper products. Public pressure resulting from the Daishowa Boycott has persuaded Daishowa to cancel its planned logging on Lubicon lands since 1991.

To end the boycott, all Daishowa was asked to do was make a clear, unequivocal and public commitment not to log or buy wood cut on the unceded Lubicon territory until the land rights are settled and a harvesting agreement respecting Lubicon wildlife and environmental concerns is reached.

Instead, Daishowa responded with legal action against Friends of the Lubicon, obtaining a temporary injunction to stop the consumer boycott, which the company claims has cost it $5 million. In January 1996, an Ontario appellate court ruled that the boycott was "causing economic harm" to the corporation, and was illegal; Lubicon supporters were forbidden to ask the public to support the Lubicon people by boycotting stores carrying Daishowa products.

When Daishowa tried to make their temporary injunction permanent, the Ontario court ruled that the boycott was a protected form of freedom of expression and therefore legal, and lifted the injunction. Still having no promise from Daishowa to hold off clear-cutting on Lubicon territories, supporters re-launched an expanded, international boycott. Within months, Daishowa met the Lubicon's terms and agreed in writing not to log Lubicon lands until land rights are settled. The boycott thus came to an end. However, Daishowa is still seeking to have the boycott declared illegal -- showing their intention to continue repression of activism supporting indigenous peoples.

The struggle does not end here. The Lubicon Nation and their supporters, like Friends of the Lubicon, continue to fight government-backed corporate destruction of the Lubicon's unceded territory on many fronts.

A brief history of the Lubicon Nation

Other documents

Information on Friends of the Lubicon

Interview with Kevin Thomas, Friends of the Lubicon
West Coast speaking tour, May 15-19, 1997

To subscribe to the Friends' mailing list, send the message


subscribe fol-l in the body of a post to majordomo@tao.ca.

Friends of the Lubicon and Daishowa

The Friends of the Lubicon recently won a lawsuit brought by Daishowa, seeking damages for FoL's boycott campaign. In this landmark case, the judge refused to permanently halt FoL's activities and granted a token award of $1 in damages to Daishowa for FoL's use of the word "genocide". Daishowa is appealing the ruling.

Brief chronology of the Daishowa vs. FoL lawsuit

Daishowa's position and FoL's response

Court Decisions: Daishowa v. Friends of the Lubicon

Round One: Kiteley J decides in favour of the Friends. She imposes no injunction on the boycott itself or on picketing, but she does order the Friends not to use the word "genocide" and not to suggest that Daishowa is breaking any agreements with the Lubicons.

Round Two: On appeal, the Ontario Divisional Court imposes an injunction on the Friends which effectively shuts down the boycott. The Friends are restricted from passing out information to shoppers indicating which stores are using Daishowa bags, an activity rendered illegal because apparently it was done with the intention of causing economic harm to Daishowa!

Round Three: J MacPherson lifts injunction against boycott, and denies Daishowa's request for a permanent injunction is denied. Token damages are awarded against FoL, rather than the millions sought by Daishowa, for FoL's use of the word "genocide" to describe the impact of Daishowa's activities on the Lubicon.

Legal Updates & Commentary

FoL has set up an e-mailing list to keep people updated on legal proceedings. To subscribe, send "subscribe fol-l" in the body (not subject header) of a message, to majordomo@tao.ca

Trial reports are archived at


http://www.tao.ca/~fol/

Nov 10/98: Daishowa off hook for Lubicon boycott court costs

Sep 23/98: Daishowa continues with appeal

May 15/98: Daishowa launches appeal

Apr 14/98: Friends of Lubicon statement on legal victory
Apr 14/98: Sierra Legal Defense Fund statement on victory
Apr 14/98: CASNP response to victory over Daishowa
Apr 14/98: CBC Report-Daishowa decision expected today

Dec 09/97: Humanist press conference on FoL trial
Sep 30/97: Clipping - The Lubicon protest
Sep 29/97: Interview with Ward Churchill on his testimony
Aug 28/97: Daishowa boycott on trial
Jun 20/97: Supreme Court refuses to hear appeal; trial set for Sep/97
Jun 14/97: Daishowa react to CBC broadcast
Jan 08/97: Daishowa named one of 10 Worst Corporations of '96

no date: Friends of Lubicon ask Supreme Court to hear appeal

Dec 03/96: Daishowa and the Lubicon - Free expression threatened
Nov 26/96: Are consumer boycotts unlawful in Canada?
Apr 1996: Details of the Jan. '96 ruling
Feb 27/96: A Right to Profit

Other Boycott news

Jun 18/98: Daishowa boycott did its job
Jun 12/98: Daishowa gives in, boycott called off
Jun 09/98: Boycott ends-Daishowa & Lubicon reach agreement
Jun 03/98: Daishowa slippery on commitment
May 21/98: Promise may end Daishowa boycott
Apr 24/98: Grace period over, boycott back on

Actions in support of Friends of the Lubicon

Oct 22/97: International picket to be held

Amitié Lubicons-Québec
C.P. 854
Kanesatake, Territoire Mohawk
via Quebec, Canada J0N 1E0
Tel: (514) 844 0484
email: paqando@web.net

Nov / 97: ALQ bulletin #2
Sep / 97: ALQ bulletin #1

Sep 02/97: Why is Daishowa using courts to silence opposition?
Aug 29/97: Trial set to open

Feb 19/97: New Lubicon supporters' group formed in Quebec
Jan 24/97: Mainstream reports on ALQ demo

no date: ALQ pamphlet

Correspondence between Daishowa and Amitié Lubicons-Québec

   Jan 23/97: Letter from ALQ to Daishowa-Marubeni and Daishowa Forest Products

   Jan 31/97: Daishowa-Marubeni reply to ALQ
   Mar 28/97: ALQ reply to Daishowa-Marubeni

   Feb 06/97: Daishowa Forest Products replies to ALQ
   Mar 28/97: ALQ replies to Daishowa Forest Products

Jun / 97: On Indian Land - Update
Fall /96: Support Lubicon, stop Daishowa

HOW YOU CAN HELP