ARC Atlantic member among those arrested in Burnt Church
According to gkisedtanamoogk, ARC Atlantic co-chair and a resident of Burnt Church, "Two of the boats were rammed, and people were arrested under guns drawn. The ARC observer and the other people in the boat were thrown into the water, then arrested. The video tape of the violent confrontation was confiscated by the authorities. The concern of the community to move forward with the mediation is in jeopardy even before it starts."
The arrests came one day after the appointment of the Honourable Bob Rae as mediator in the fishing dispute. Chief Dedam stated, that federal Minister of Fisheries, Herb Dhaliwal "is acting in a manner that is totally demeaning and underhanded. The day after he publicly accepted the mediation process, he sends his officers to undermine the process and basically destroy any chance that the mediator could bring both parties to a resolution of this dispute. He never intended for this process to work."
The National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Matthew Coon Come, is extremely disappointed by the actions of the federal government, but remains committed to a peaceful resolution that is now in the hands of the mediator, Bob Rae.
For more information, visit the new Burnt Church web site at efn.tao.ca or go to ARC's website at http://home.istar.ca/~arc/
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