Demonstrators in support of the Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs drumming on Second Ave. W. on Thursday. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Wet'suwet'en conflict

P.A. demonstrators stand in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en

Feb 21, 2020 | 12:07 PM

Around 10 people gathered near the South Hill Mall on Thursday afternoon to show support for Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs.

“This is an opportunity for Canada to honour the U.N.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and we’re just not seeing that happen,” organizer Al Grigori told paNOW.

Protests, blockades and sit-ins in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs who oppose a pipeline that would carry liquid natural gas through their land have gripped Canada for the past two weeks and shut down rail lines.

On Thursday in Prince Albert, demonstrators stood in a line along the sidewalk on Second Ave. W. and drummed.

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“The reason we chose to do it this way, not interfering with traffic and business, is because we want to show that Indigenous people, we’re not all just one person and the way that we assert our voices can be different,” she said.

Grigori said she hoped the national attention on the conflict will get people talking about bigger issues like Indigenous sovereignty and not just focus on simplistic explanations.

“A lot of the dialogue is focusing on First Nations people being against oil and gas and, you know, the Hereditary Chiefs have proposed alternative routes. It’s not that they’re against pipelines,” she said.

Around ten people came together for the demonstration. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

“I think it’s important that we show support to our cousins, our family and that we’re stronger together,” Avery Berezowsky said.

Elder Marcia Neault said she was the oldest person to attend on Thursday.

“I want to encourage other Elders to stand with us, to pray with us and to call upon to our ancestral spirits,” she explained. “It’s not too late because this is ongoing.”

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom