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
|
|