Six Nations: Racism Out of Control
Okay, I know that when you first start doing anti-racist work one of the things that you learn is that feeling guilty, embarrassed or ashamed of being white is not productive. It doesn't get you anywhere to feel bad about being white, you simply have to deal with it and use your privilege to work towards change. While I very much believe that, the anti-sovereignty racists are beginning to make it hard not to be a little embarrassed.
First off, Garry McHale is a wannabe martyr whose racist demonstrating only serves to help fuel the fires of a small group of wing-nut, racist locals. He and other malicious, hateful outsiders are imported to inflame the situation, likely with the intent to cause violence. McHale and others went back to the Site not long after they failed to put up canadian flags and the OPP told them they couldn't do it so close to Six Nations' territory.
McHale was outraged when he was arrested. He was charged with breach of peace, which he says isn't a charge and isn't in the criminal code. It is. He is a liar. Breach of peace is the law that the cops use to pick up drunks and toss them in the drunk tank for the night. While you can be arrested and held for 24hrs, there is no formal charge laid. Breach of peace is commonly used against protesters; however, this is the first time I am aware of it being used against a racist, right-wing protester.
See Gary, this is how it works: if you are white and you get arrested in Caledonia you get out pretty quick (there are no criminal charges that have been laid against any white person to my knowledge). If you are Native you likely get charged criminally and don't get out so easily. There is even the chance, like in the case of Trevor Miller, that you won't get out at all. Don't feel glum chum, you got the better end of the deal. White skin has a lot of mileage in this country. I know you are trying to end two-tiered justice in the country but you don't understand that ending it means screwing yourself over, not the Native people.
Further, when we get charged with breaches of the peace for things like carrying a placard, showing up early, walking down the street, swearing or the like, you don't see us crying about it. And you certainly don't see us taking off our pants and refusing to wear them or going on a hunger strike for no apparent reason. That is what he did, according to a one sided article in the conservative Canada Free Press.
The problem isn't a few individuals like McHale, it is far more systemic than that. The media repeatedly prints false accusations against people from Six Nations. Most recently, the Spectator reported the vandalism of a house. There is no evidence whatsoever that the vandalism was committed by one of the First Nations people at the Reclamation Site. It could have just as easily been done by people trying to make trouble for Six Nations or by the people who live there who "'begged' the provincial government to buy the house." While the Spec piece quotes an OPP officer telling people not to jump to conclusions, it doesn't quote anyone from the Reclamation Site or really offer any other possibility than that one of the Natives did it.
The government, as most people reading this know, has the longest record of being racist. It has been over two-hundred years since this piece of land was stolen. The government has known for almost that long that many pieces of land in the Haldimand Tract were stolen from the people of the Six Nations and never did a thing about it. Today, the Liberal government continues to deny land claims and prolong negotiations. However, even I was surprised when the Spectator reported that David Ramsey, Minister in charge of aboriginal affairs said he would sponsor a demonstration at Queen's Parkkk for McHale, giving him a platform and a sound system. When people from Six Nations were there in the fall there was no platform, no sound system, no sponsorship. The circle is complete: Gary to the media, the media to the government, the government to Gary. Each one fuels the other's racism and each one's racism acts as a justification for pushing their racist agenda forward.
First off, Garry McHale is a wannabe martyr whose racist demonstrating only serves to help fuel the fires of a small group of wing-nut, racist locals. He and other malicious, hateful outsiders are imported to inflame the situation, likely with the intent to cause violence. McHale and others went back to the Site not long after they failed to put up canadian flags and the OPP told them they couldn't do it so close to Six Nations' territory.
McHale was outraged when he was arrested. He was charged with breach of peace, which he says isn't a charge and isn't in the criminal code. It is. He is a liar. Breach of peace is the law that the cops use to pick up drunks and toss them in the drunk tank for the night. While you can be arrested and held for 24hrs, there is no formal charge laid. Breach of peace is commonly used against protesters; however, this is the first time I am aware of it being used against a racist, right-wing protester.
See Gary, this is how it works: if you are white and you get arrested in Caledonia you get out pretty quick (there are no criminal charges that have been laid against any white person to my knowledge). If you are Native you likely get charged criminally and don't get out so easily. There is even the chance, like in the case of Trevor Miller, that you won't get out at all. Don't feel glum chum, you got the better end of the deal. White skin has a lot of mileage in this country. I know you are trying to end two-tiered justice in the country but you don't understand that ending it means screwing yourself over, not the Native people.
Further, when we get charged with breaches of the peace for things like carrying a placard, showing up early, walking down the street, swearing or the like, you don't see us crying about it. And you certainly don't see us taking off our pants and refusing to wear them or going on a hunger strike for no apparent reason. That is what he did, according to a one sided article in the conservative Canada Free Press.
The problem isn't a few individuals like McHale, it is far more systemic than that. The media repeatedly prints false accusations against people from Six Nations. Most recently, the Spectator reported the vandalism of a house. There is no evidence whatsoever that the vandalism was committed by one of the First Nations people at the Reclamation Site. It could have just as easily been done by people trying to make trouble for Six Nations or by the people who live there who "'begged' the provincial government to buy the house." While the Spec piece quotes an OPP officer telling people not to jump to conclusions, it doesn't quote anyone from the Reclamation Site or really offer any other possibility than that one of the Natives did it.
The government, as most people reading this know, has the longest record of being racist. It has been over two-hundred years since this piece of land was stolen. The government has known for almost that long that many pieces of land in the Haldimand Tract were stolen from the people of the Six Nations and never did a thing about it. Today, the Liberal government continues to deny land claims and prolong negotiations. However, even I was surprised when the Spectator reported that David Ramsey, Minister in charge of aboriginal affairs said he would sponsor a demonstration at Queen's Parkkk for McHale, giving him a platform and a sound system. When people from Six Nations were there in the fall there was no platform, no sound system, no sponsorship. The circle is complete: Gary to the media, the media to the government, the government to Gary. Each one fuels the other's racism and each one's racism acts as a justification for pushing their racist agenda forward.
posted by DAMN 2025 at 11:16 p.m.
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