CALEDONIA - Native protesters blocking the Highway 6 bypass in Caledonia are refusing to clear the road.
Spokesman Bryan Skye said Ontario Provincial Police asked this morning that barriers blocking each end of the bypass be dismantled. Protesters refused and say they’ll keep the road closed until police stand down from a confrontation in eastern Ontario.
Haldimand County Mayor Marie Trainer says some residents have already talked about taking the law into their own hands to end the Six Nations highway blockade.
Trainer says the renewed blockade is forcing motorists to go through Caledonia, straining a heritage bridge which is up for repairs in a few weeks.
She says it's putting even more strain on residents, some of whom have gathered near the occupation site to discuss taking action on their own.
The OPP and Mohawks have been staring each other down in Deseronto since Friday, when a native leader was arrested for breaching a court order.
Police removed a barrier blocking a road there at about 8.30 a.m. Natives at the Caledonia blockade said it was unmanned and that there was no violence. But a spokesman said the local blockade will continue until the standoff over an occupied quarry in Deseronto is resolved.
Skye said the Hwy 6 blockade is not connected to land claims issues in Caledonia
Instead, he said it is a show of support for Mohawks in eastern Ontario. Skye said is now part of a wider strategy among members of the Six Nations confederacy.With files from The Canadian Press
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