January 20, 2021
924 views
A bus that had been part of a barricade blcoking Argyle street at Caledonia has been moved back about 50 feet from the original barricade to allow access to a nearby church . (Photo by Jim C. Powless)
By Victoria Gray
Turtle Island News Writer
Land Defenders at 1492 Land Back Lane have moved their Argyle Street barricade back and allowed the Ministry of Transportation to inspect the Highway #6 bypass.
Skyler Williams, spokesperson for the land defenders said they moved the bus back on Tuesday night to the Caledonia Baptist Church to allow people use of the church and emergency services workers to have faster transport times to Hamilton hospitals.
Defenders with the camp say the barricades, or safe area, is in place in a direct response to the violent actions of the Ontario Provincial Police. The safety of land defenders is the priority of our camp, the community, and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC), and their continued safety from police violence will remain a priority moving forward as roads are opened, the release said.
Ontario Provincial Police raided the camp in August and enforced a temporary court injunction. They arrested several demonstrators, and in response, community members used blockades to shut down area roads and a rail line.