Produced and hosted by members of No One Is Illegal in Montreal. 514-848-7583 -- noii-montreal@resist.ca -- http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com
::: Arrests and raids of indigenous Maori activists and allies in Aotearoa :::
This past October 15, 2007 at dawn, seventeen indigenous Maori, as well as allied anarchist and environmental activists, were arrested by police in Aotearoa/New Zealand, under that country's Terrorism Suppression Act (2002). Many social justice activists remain detained, and are facing charges of terrorism. One Maori community in particular -- Ruatoki -- was targeted by armed police with checkpoints and roadblocks reminiscient of a military occupation.
KEN MAIR, a Maori sovereignist activist based in Whanganui, addresses the current situation, with a particular focus on historical resistance to colonialism in Aotearoa/New Zealand by indigenous Maori.
::: The Gathering of the Indigenous People of the Americas :::
Between October 11-14, 2007, an historic Gathering of the Indigenous People of the Americas took place in Vicam, in the state of Sonora, on the territory of the Yaqui tribe of Mexico. The gathering brought together indigenous delegates from all over the Americas. Topics of discussion included: the war of capitalist conquest in indigenous communities in the Americas; the resistance of indigenous peoples in defense of mother earth, territories, and cultures; and, why do the indigenous peoples of the Americas struggle? On this month's edition of No One Is Illegal Radio, we get report-backs from three delegates who attended the gathering:
DUSTIN JOHNSON: Dustin is a member of the Ts'mkiyen nation and editor of Redwire Magazine, based in Vancouver; he is also active in organizing anti-colonial resistance to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver/Whistler; the Gathering of the Indigenous People of the Americas passed a resolution to support continental-wide efforts to oppose the Olympics.
NEECHA: Neecha is an activist from the Anishnabe Ojibway nation, in the boreal forest of Northwestern Ontario; she has been active in resisting corporate mining and clearcutting at Grassy Narrows, as well as supporting the land reclamation at Six Nations.
KATENIES: Katenies is a Kanion'ke:haka grandmorther from Akwesasne Mohawk Territory; she is currently wanted on an arrest warrant, for refusing to appear in court on phony customs and border violations in "Canada"; she refuses to recognize the authority of colonial courts. In this interview, from somewhere on Turtle Island, Katenies also talks about the upcoming Indigenous Border Summit of the Americas to take place between November 8-10, 2007, on the territory of the of the Tohono O'odham nation (Arizona).
Background: - Gathering of the Indigenous People of the Americas: http://encuentroindigena.org/ - No Olympics on Stolen Land: http://www.no2010.com/ - Indigenous Border Summit of the Americas 2007: http://indigenousbordersummitamericas2007.blogspot.com/ - Katenies defies the colonial courts: http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2007/03/background-katenies-defies-colonial-us.html
::: No Borders Camp at Calexico/Mexicali (November 5-11, 2007) :::
No Borders Camps are action camps that challenge neo-liberal capitalism, border militarization, and migration controls. No Borders Camps have taken place previously in Europe and Australia, confronting borders as both unjust physical boundaries and brutal systems of violence and control that pervade our societies. The gathering at Calexico/Mexicali is the first No Borders Camp in North America, and the first to take place on two sides of an international border. We speak with two organizers of the No Borders Camp:
OWL: Owl is based in San Diego, active with the Organic Collective; she has been helping organize this week's No Borders Camp for two years;
ELLIOT LIU: Elliot is based in the New York City-area, where he is active with the Anarchist People of Colour (APOC) Network, and the New York Metro Alliance of Anarchists (NYMAA).
Background: - No Borders Camp 2007: http://www.noborderscamp.org - Montreal Solidarity Action: http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2007/11/no-borders-camp-montreal-november-10.html