On a sunny Sunday afternoon, George Quocksister Jr, Hereditary Chief of the Laichkwiltach Nation, led the latest action in Campbell River in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en opposition to pipeline plans in their traditional territory.
Quocksister Jr. led a group of a few dozen Indigenous people and allies in a march along the foreshore starting at the Discovery Harbour Shopping Centre.
Carrying signs that said “We Stand with Wet’suwet’en,” “Reconciliation is Dead,” and “Reconciliation Doesn’t Happen by the Barrel of a Gun,” Wet’suwet’en supporters walked along the Hwy. 19A sidewalk in Campbell River.
Once at Robert Ostler Park, Quocksister Jr. addressed the crowd that had grown during the march. He asked a supporter to read his signs to the gathered crowd.
“Hereditary chiefs have always been leaders within Indigenous communities,” the supporter read. “Hereditary chiefs have jurisdiction over their traditional territories. It’s a must to consult with them.”
During the march, both Rich Hagensen, head of the local chapter of the Council and Canadians and Andrea Craddock, president of the Campbell River, Courtenay and District Labour Council, spoke in support of solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en Nation.
Sunday’s march was the third public event in Campbell River in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en Nation. On Feb. 9, land defenders and allies occupied two lanes on Dogwood Street in front of the Campbell River RCMP detachment for under an hour, and on Feb. 13, supporters stood outside North Island MLA and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Claire Trevena’s office.
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marissa.tiel@campbellrivermirror.com
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