SIX NATIONS, Ont. — An argument between police and land defenders erupted in violence Thursday when officers tried to arrest someone outside a protest camp on Haudenosaunee territory.
Witnesses say police fired at least six rubber bullets and tasered a young man after someone threw a rock at their cruiser. In the ensuing chaos, Ontario Provincial Police fell back to a reinforced position about 500 metres from the camp’s back entrance.
“I was hit right in the fucking back,” said one young man, who did not want to be identified. “It doesn’t hurt right now. Just gives me another reason to be out here. It’s a good day to be Indigenous.”
As police withdrew, dozens of Haudenosaunee barricaded Argyle Road with pickup trucks and stacks of burning tires. They stood a few hundred metres from a row of Ontario Provincial Police cars, blocking access to downtown Caledonia.
They also lit the base of a power line on fire and attempted to push a school bus onto the rural highway.
Earlier today there were roughly 20 land defenders at the camp, but by 8:30 p.m. ET, their numbers had swollen to between 100 and 150 as community members flocked to the scene. The camp has now expanded to cover an entire section of the reserve, stretching almost to Caledonia, and the Haudenosaunee are reinforcing their position with a steamroller and more trucks. The OPP have shut down access to a large part of the reserve, and Ricochet was only able to access the area by hiking in. (more...)
Police fire rubber bullets, use Taser during confrontation at Land Back Lane
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