Solidarity message and Open Letter from Women Of Diverse Origins
From: WomenDiverseOrigins Women of Diverse Origins
Date: Mon, Jun 15, 2009 at 12:24 AM
OPEN LETTER TO THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT AND SOLIDARITY MESSAGE TO THE HAUDENAUSAUNEE WOMEN OF AKWESASNE, TYENDINAGA AND SISTER COMMUNITIES
We, women of the Montreal-based, March 8th Coordination and Action
Committee of Women of Diverse Origins (WDO) express our profound
solidarity with the Haudenausaunee women and their communities as they
struggle to stop the ongoing annexation and illegal occupation of
their un-surrendered lands. We extend our deepest respect to the
Haudenausaunee people of Akwesasne who have courageously defied the
Harper government's plan to arm the Canadian Border Services Agency
(CBSA) border guards at the Kahwehnoke border crossing (Cornwall
Island).
We ardently denounce the brutal attack and vicious arrests of members
of the Tyendinaga Mohawk community on June 12, 2009, who were standing
in solidarity with the community of Akwesasne by blocking access to
the local Skyway bridge in Southern Ontario to demand that the Federal
Government enter into meaningful discussions with the community of
Akwesasne.
The Canadian state has been built on violence against Onkwehonwe women
and their families -- sexual violence, genocide and on-going colonial
repression. Harassment by border guards against Akwesasne community
members is only a recent form of aggression in a long history of
colonialism. Hundreds of complaints have been filed against the CBSA
for incidents like conducting a cavity search on a teenager,
subjecting a pregnant woman to repeated x-rays and interrogating
children after forcibly removing them from the care of adult family
members. The position of the Federal Government that it refuses any
discussion with the community of Akwesasne is ludicrous and will only
engender further mistrust and frustration.
We, Women of Diverse Origins, support the call for the Federal
Government to enter into meaningful discussions with the community of
Akwesasne. Moreover, we, insist that the Canadian government respect
the people of Akwesasne's demand to NOT arm the CBSA border guards at
the Kahwehnoke border crossing. We demand that the Canadian government
respect Indigenous sovereignty and Indigenous people's right to
self-determination.
We demand that the community members of Tyendinaga, who face
criminalization for standing in solidarity with their sister community
be released immediately and that all charges be dropped.
WDO brings together feminist, migrant justice and women's groups, and
individuals as to organise International Women's day events celebrated
on March 8th, from an anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist,
anti-patriarchal, anti-colonial and anti-racist perspective. We are
women who are committed to a peace that brings genuine justice and
freedom for all, and a peace that flourishes in a world without
interpersonal or state violence. Solidarity is paramount to this
commitment. We believe that solidarity transcends borders, and that
mutual respect in the struggle for justice brings about a society
without violence against women and our communities. As Women of
diverse origins, many of us, our families and communities have faced
the brutality of border guards when attempting to migrate with
dignity, after being forced off our lands by governments and corporate
interests that cater to the global free-market economies. We
acknowledge that the struggle, for our dignity, as (im)migrants,
second-generation immigrants and as non-Native women, must be built in
solidarity with Indigenous struggles for justice. We believe that
these ties make us stronger and reinforce the struggle against the
colonisation of your lands. We therefore extend our solidarity and
support to the Haudenausaunee women, who have for years, courageously
been risking their lives in self-defence of their land and
communities. We understand that these decisions are not taken lightly,
but that a stand must be taken for your communities and the
generations to come.
We stand with Akwesasne, in your struggle against the arming of CBSA
border guards and with Tyendinaga in your solidarity with sister
communities and your struggle for self-determination. We recognise
that a stand made by Indigenous communities against racism and
colonial violence is a stand made for humanity.
In solidarity and sisterhood,
The March 8th Coordination and Action Committee, Women of Diverse Origins
Montreal, 14 June 2009
comite8mars@gmail.com
To keep up-to-date on the latest news from the Mohawk Nation - please visit:
Kahentinetha MNN Mohawk Nation News, Mohawk Nation News kahentinetha2@yahoo.com Go to MNN "BORDER" category for more stories.
or visit for the latest reports and interviews: Brenda Norrell's Censored News
Contents
June 2009 Reports