War-like Tactics Against Native People at Gustafsen Lake Documented on Film

Video Titles

Above the Law
Part 2

News Articles

Video Excerpt

Ordering information

Wolverine Camp Protest Leader	"When we were at the Sundance grounds we danced for the women and children for the pain and the suffering that must end for them. This is what we were dancing for."
Ramsey Clark Former U.S. Atty. General	"We should recognize Gustafsen Lake for what it really is. There are 200 million indigenous people struggling for survival. The simple truth is that we have to learn to love our native people."
Dr. Bruce Clark Lawyer/Constitutional Expert	"No institution within human society is above the law. Essentially what the judges are saying is that they are above the law."
Prof. Anthony Hall Lethbridge Univ. Alberta	"A systematic media disinformation and smear campaign that Above The Law Part 2 now clearly proves was operative in 1995, beyond any shadow of a doubt."
Cst. Bob Woods Ex-RCMP	"Somebody above the level of constable made the decision that the ERT was going in and nothing was going to change their mind. They were going to go in and put on a show of force to set an example."
Cyril Neville Member of Neville Brothers Group	"On the government's part there were things that they said happened one way and when you look at certain films you see that they didn't happen the way the government said that they did."

War-like Tactics Against Native People at Gustafsen Lake Documented on Film

By Ben Mahony

Revelations that a soldier had his hand blown off during a secret military operation at Gustafsen Lake and a new film that shows RCMP officers conducting a smear campaign against the Native protesters inside the Gustafsen Lake camp has gained the attention of politicians, academics, human-rights groups and the media.

Mainstream press and radio reported in January that Sergeant Mike Schlueter, who was permanently injured by a faulty RCMP stun grenade, is suing the federal government for compensation. A faulty grenade exploded in his hand in 1995 when he was part of a secret military unit called in to assist the RCMP remove Native protesters from the Gustafsen Lake Sundance camp in central BC in 1995.

In addition, a new documentary film about the Gustafsen Lake standoff, called Above the Law 2, has allowed the public an insider's view of the largest police operation in Canada's history.

The covert military operation at Gustafsen Lake featured armored personnel carriers, aerial surveillance, heat sensing, and, according to the Gustafsen Lake Defenders, there is evidence that Canada's elite Joint Task Force Two was present.

Disturbing footage of RCMP and military officers laying explosives around the Native camp and shooting at an armed protester in an agreed upon "no shoot zone" in Above the Law 2 have renewed calls for a public inquiry into the Gustafsen Lake siege.

Schlueter says that the military wanted no involvement in the operation and were concerned with legal liability, which in part explains why he was given RCMP stun grenades instead of the military issue he was accustomed to. The ensuing explosion blew off part of his hand.

The accident was never investigated and at the time the military's involvement was downplayed. Although the role of the military at Gustafsen Lake was relatively unscrutinized until now, Above the Law 2 provides compelling evidence that the military was brought in under false pretenses.

The shooting incidents, which the RCMP claimed Natives had instigated, were flatly disproven in court. This new documentary film elaborates on the discrepancies between what the police told the media and what was later found to be true. The film indicates there may be legal questions that will now arise because of the use of military force on Canadian citizens.

Then Attorney General of B.C. Ujjal Dosanjh, now the premier, may face tough questions about the legality of his request for the presence of Schlueter and the rest of the military personnel, which included over 400 officers.

In a phone interview, Schlueter said the military and the Prime Minister's Office were reticent to get involved in the standoff. He also said many officers were given less than a half hour of training before they were sent into a "guerrilla operation."

Perhaps this explains the confusion that led to his accident and to the abuse of force, which took place on September 11, 1995. On that day officers spent over 20,000 rounds and wounded one of the Gustafsen Lake Defenders. The next day RCMP snipers fired on an unarmed camper. This incident was not mentioned to the press, but is shown in Above the Law 2.

The overwhelming application of military force at Gustafsen Lake has remained largely unknown until now. Those that do remember the standoff remember headlines like "Natives Stalk RCMP," which appeared on September 5, 1995. Above the Law 2 details the evidence released to the public at the Gustafsen Lake trial, which directly refutes the RCMP versions of this alleged stalking episode. The Mounties' own police forensics expert later concluded that damage to a police vehicle, was done when it "Struck a tree branch, which panicked the officers causing them to shoot wildly."

Much of the film focuses on such inconsistencies. These are important because the RCMP request for military involvement was based on reports, which, according to Above the Law 2, proved false.

Because credible persons like former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark and defense lawyer George Wool provide analysis, which complements the footage of RCMP "dirty tricks," the film is likely to gain international attention.

Ben Mahony is completing a MA thesis in Native American Studies at the University of Lethbridge with a focus on the Gustafsen Lake standoff. He has previously published in CD and a number of other publications, including Windspeaker, Raven Eye, Saskatchewan Sage and Canadianaboriginal.com.

Source, August 2000 CD