Category: Actions

We won’t stop: Toronto solidarity rail action

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Moved by the momentum of rail blockades and actions across the country, we set out last night to stop some trains. Toronto has seen a couple of well-attended and inspiring one-day blockades over the past week. Sustaining the numbers and energy for these kinds of blockades can be hard, and we want to experiment with ways to keep pressure on the rail system without expending that energy constantly. Luckily, there are many ways to disrupt the rails – see previous callouts! Read More …

Kingston: Report from #ShutDownCanada Action

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In response to the ongoing raid on Wet’suwet’en territory, more than 100 people gathered yesterday in a downtown park. After a couple of speeches the crowd piled onto two packed schoolbuses and a few extra cars and headed to the train tracks. The original plan was to shut down the rails, but Mohawks at Tyendinaga have held the line closed since Thursday despite being served an injunction from CN Rail. As the action got nearer, we decided to proceed whether or not the lines were still closed, to show our solidarity with everyone shutting down critical infrastructure across Canada. Read More …

Hamilton: Sabotage to CN Line

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As the Wet’suwet’en, the Mohawks of Tyendinaga, and Coast Salish people all burned injunctions handed down by colonial courts today, we thought to act in solidarity with  them.

Overnight, we burned a small road crossing signal box on the CN line. It’s default is to activate the road crossings if tripped, so no people were in danger.

We chose rail because it has a long history aiding in the colonization and confederation of Turtle Island and the displacement and death of Indigenous people with deep economic impacts. It is impossible to defend, even in the busy city – so tonight proves.

Fuck the state. Fuck the colonial courts. It’s time to stand up and shut shit down. Read More …

#ShutDownCanada: Wet’suwet’en Solidarity Actions Continue Into Weekend

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Following RCMP raids on Wet’suwet’en Territory this week, indigenous people, land defenders and accomplices have been taking up the call to Shut Down Canada with ongoing actions across the country targeting urban centres, highways, ports and railways. Here is an update on some actions across southern Ontario thus far and some notes on what’s to come. Something incomplete or missing? Send us a reportback! Read More …

Hamilton: Report from Rail Blockade

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On February 2, 2020 – before the RCMP began raiding Wet’suwet’en Territories once more – folks gathered in JC Beemer Park in Hamilton, ON for a “festive disruption” that promised both fun and effective action in support of the people risking their lives out west.

We’re happy to say it was a success!

After approximately 120 people of all ages gathered at the park, we started the day with a traditional Haudensaunee opening and blessing, and then briefed folks not to talk to police for everyone’s safety, or media as to keep messaging aligned with the messages coming from the Wet’suwet’en. We fired up the crowd with some stories and encouragement to challenge their own fears and discomforts – and then took all 5 lanes of an arterial road through the North end of Hamilton. Read More …

Hamilton: Native Women Block the Highway 403!

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On Thursday morning, I got up to the news that the RCMP had begun to move in on the Morice Service Rd heading eventually to Gitdum’ten and Unist’ot’en camps. There were pictures that showed them in full tactical gear, with semi-automatic rifles and attack dogs. This wasn’t a surprise to me, but I was very angry. How many more years will native people have to live at the barrel of a gun? How many more years will Canada force us off our lands because they need to build a pipeline or a railroad? I watched a video put out by Sleydo that called for Indigenous people to rise up and I knew I had to meet the call. It is clear to me that reconciliation is a total lie. I think that this is making it clear to everyone.

So when I got invited to an action to shut down the Highway 403 with some other native women, I was all in. A group of us (some Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Métis) women and two-spirited people plus a bunch of supporters (anarchists mostly) met up around 5pm near Hamilton. Read More …

Guelph: Banner Drop in Solidarity with Wet’suwet’en

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From Wet’suwet’en Solidarity – Guelph (Facebook) Highway 6 – Guelph, ON 7:45 am January 31st, 2020 ‘Stop the RCMP. Solidarity with Wet’suwet’en’ The Wet’suwet’en Nation is currently engaged in an ongoing struggle to protect their ancestral and unceded, sovereign territory from the Coastal Gaslink pipeline project (CGL) and the Canadian State. Just over one year after a militarized RCMP raid the Wet’suwet’en fear another raid- knowing that the RCMP will Read More …

Solidarity with Wet’suwet’en Action Targeting RBC Guelph

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In addition to the press release below, some participants wanted to add a few reflections:

-“It was great to be out with such a nice group of people wanting to disrupt things. I feel worried about the tendency for actions like this to hold little actual impact and to be so focused on the image for social media.”

-“It wasn’t entirely clear what the goals and objectives were logistically (ie whether or not to block entry) and strategically (mostly to show solidarity/awareness raising, or to affect RBC operations, etc). Clarity in intention is a good future goal to keep in mind.” Read More …

Keep your fire bright! Solidarity Railway sabotage in Burlington

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Last night, we did a sabotage at railway bottleneck in Burlington. This place chosen because of the juncture there, with lines from Detroit and Buffalo joining to go forward to Toronto and Montreal. We have heard it’s the busiest intersection of this kind in Canada. This action is in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en people in the front line struggle against the Canadian state and the corporations it supports, in response to a call for actions attacking the railways.

We did this by identifying a signal station and setting a fire under its power supply to destroy the cables that would feed it. Hoping this will take them some time to repair and keeping the line closed for longer. Read More …