May 25, 2008

Breaking News on attacks on our people for asserting our rights and jurisdiction

Breaking News on attacks on our people for asserting

our rights and jurisdiction:

RCMP EVICT HEREDITARY CHIEF KIAPILANO AND

SUPPORTERS FROM SQUAMISH BAND OFFICE,

VANCOUVER


Squamish Nation territory ("Vancouver, Canada")

May 24, 2008

On Saturday, May 24th, a force of twenty taser-armed

RCMP officers and band council police forced Chief

Kiapilano off his own land yesterday during a peaceful

occupation of the Squamish band council office by

Kiapilano and his supporters.

On Friday morning, May 23rd, Hereditary Squamish

Chief Kiapilano and a dozen supporters had swiftly

occupied the offices of the state-funded "Squamish

Band Council" in North Vancouver, and ordered the

eviction of the entire band council.

Chief Kiapilano is leading a movement to expel

agencies from his land who are responsible for the

genocide of his people. Last March, Kiapilano and

Eagle Strong Voice (Kevin Annett) initiated these

actions by posting eviction notices on the Roman

Catholic, Anglican and United churches in downtown

Vancouver, ordering them off Squamish land.

Chief Kiapilano said in a statement from inside the

occupied band council office, "Our people are

starving, they're living in dilapidated homes, and

these so-called 'chiefs' [representing the colonial

government] are doing nothing for them. Now 'chief'

Bill Williams has signed a deal with the province

[British Columbia] allowing mining and destruction of

more of our land. We're here today to tell these fake

leaders to leave, and we're staying here until they're

gone."

Bill Williams left and band council member Byron

Joseph stayed. Williams called in the RCMP and band

council police. Chief Kiapilano then advised Byron

Joseph and his staff to leave the premises, and

announced his intention to change the locks on the

building.


"We're consulting our [colonial] lawyers" announced

Byron Joseph, just before he and his advisors left the

building for lunch.

"Chief Kiapilano declared a common law jurisdiction

over this building, and has reclaimed it for all of his

people", said Irene Peace Kiapilano. "We call on all

hereditary chiefs to do likewise, and reclaim their land

and government from a foreign occupying power."

Then on Saturday, May 24th, led by RCMP Inspector

Richard Kennedy, [phone 604-985-1311

mvanrcmp@rcmp-grc.gc.ca] sixteen heavily armed

mounties wearing flak jackets surrounded the band

council office. Negotiations were going on between

Chief Kiapilano and band council staff. After a lawyer

from the Smythe-Ratcliffe firm [Phone 604-687-1231

info@smytheratcliffe.com] spoke to band councillor

Byron Joseph, the talks were abruptly cancelled.

The mounties blocked the doorways and prevented

Kiapilano's supporters from re-entering the office.

"They wouldn't let me back into the building where

they had the Chief trapped, so I got out my drum and

start drumming" said Irene Peace Kiapilano.

"The cops were ready to attack us. They had their

tasers out. I told Inspector Kennedy we had served

the eviction notice on Byron Joseph and the band

council, and he had accepted it. Kennedy said the

federal Minister of Justice said they didn't recognize

Chief Kiapilano or our document, even though it had

been accepted in their own courts!"

Chief Kiapilano and his supporters were then

physically forced from the building under threat of

immediate arrest, and escorted off the band council

land by a line of RCMP vehicles.

Native elders from the Downtown Eastside Womens'

Centre showed up to support Chief Kiapilano. They

were verbally threatened, photographed and

ordered to leave by the same RCMP squad.


Before leaving, Chief Kiapilano declared three times

to the RCMP and band councillors that his eviction order

remained in effect. He and his people would return to

enforce the order and remove the [illegal] Squamish

band council from office.

"We offered them a hand of peace and they responded

with violence" said Chief Red Jacket of Turtle Island, a

participant in the occupation. "In our law, when that

happens, all we have left is to go to war."

Further actions against the agencies responsible for the

ongoing genocide of the Squamish people will continue

on Sunday, June 1 at 10 am at the former "holy rosary

catholic church" at Dunsmuir and Richards in downtown

Vancouver. It is now an open community space under

the jurisdiction of Chief Kiapilano.

Issued under the authority of Siem Kiapilano of the

Squamish Nation 24 May, 2008

For more information: 1-888-265-1007 (Canada)
hiddenfromhistory@yahoo.ca

www.jointhefederation.org
Read and Hear the truth of Genocide in Canada, past and

present, at this website: www.hiddenfromhistory.org


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