Wet’suwet’en - the Right to Protest

I believe it is a given in Canada that anyone has the right to protest a government action that is wrong. In fact, it could be argued that it is our obligation to stand up to defend what is important to us. I think, however, that there are some basic principles of protesting that are not always understood by those who decide to block traffic or engage in other forms of protest.

The first rule is that the right to express yourself in public by breaking the law i.e. blocking access to a port or standing on railroad tracks does not exempt that person from being arrested and charged with a crime. Protesting would be far less effective if there were no real consequences to the act. People know they are breaking the law - they should not complain when they are arrested. To suggest that they do not recognize the right of the police to lay charges is absurd. If one decides to break the law to attract attention to a specific issue, one needs to realize that the people whose attention is attracted - i.e. commuters - are going to be bloody pissed off.

Secondly, I think it is important that the issue that is being protested is clear. In the case of protesters in various centres in Canada declaring their support for the Wet’suwet’en elders - I am not sure anyone is clear as to what is being demanded.  On the face of it, it appears as if the hereditary chiefs are just saying no to any pipeline - or do they have other demands? If the elder's main agenda is to hold the land sacred, preventing any development - I can understand that. 

It would also be useful to know whether or not, within the Wet’suwet’en territory if others agreed with them. Protesters need to know they are supporting the right side of the debate. While there is relatively little information coming from the elders or anyone else, there have been reports that those who support the pipeline are being publically shamed and accused of being a colonializer (https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/ coastal-gaslink-pipeline-lng-canada-1.5436837). A more open dialogue would be more productive.

And finally, as a corollary to the above - protesters should know what the expected outcome is. I do not know what is being demanded. If I am going to stand on railroad tracks in Ontario, in the middle of February blocking trains - I would want to know what needs to happen before I can get off of those tracks. Is there ever going to be an end to this protest?

There is only so much energy to become engaged in someone else's issues- our attention spans are, unfortunately, far too short. Protesters, rather than being swept up in the emotion of the times and the feel-good nature of supporting a righteous cause, need to be sure that the battle they have picked is one that they understand.