For years, the Wet’suwet’en have defended their territory against repeated incursions from industry and the RCMP. In 2020, an invasion by heavily militarized RCMP tactical teams sparked the largest Indigenous-led uprising since the Oka crisis, carried out under the banner of #ShutDownCanada. This was a watershed moment in the history of resistance to the settler-colonial Canadian state, and one that built off earlier movements like Idle No More and years of militant land defense from Miꞌkmaꞌki to Secwepemc and Coast Salish territories.
This battle is once again heating up. On September 25, members of the Cas Yikh house of the Gidimt’en clan occupied the site of a proposed drill pad on their territory, shutting down construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline just as tunneling was slated to begin under the Wedzin Kwa. This river is the lifeline of the entire Wet’suwet’en nation, providing the territory with salmon and clean drinking water. Gidimt’en clan members have long made it clear that they will not allow CGL to use their territory to drill under the Wedzin Kwa, and now they are calling on supporters to help them push back, assert their sovereignty and save their sacred headwaters.
Drop banners. Organize demos. Spread the word. Shut shit down.
From October 9-15, 2021, go #AllOutForWedzinKwa.