"It's rural terrorism," said one police officer at the scene.

By JOE WARMINGTON
Sat, April 22, 2006
Toronto Sun

ON THE TYENDINAGA RESERVE -- You knew with CN Rail hauling $102 million a day in cargo through the Toronto-Montreal corridor it was not going to be a blockade that would last long.

The only question was how would it end? Peacefully and by negotiation? Or violently through force?

For most of the day no one was really sure which way it would go. On one side of Hwy. 2 you had a group of three dozen Mohawks holding up the trains by having vehicles on the tracks and on the other you had police and reporters waiting for something to happen.

A lot of it hinged on what was happening with the talks at the standoff at Caledonia and a court injunction obtained by CN. Eventually the native protesters liked what they heard and by 8:30 p.m. last night, a deal was reached.

The blockade was ended by negotiation, creating a sigh of relief for many in white shirts in Ottawa and Toronto but creating quite a bit of anger down here. There were many who didn't really want to end the protest -- and they were not afraid to express it.

"I swear if they don't settle that dispute in Caledonia soon we will be back," said Brandy Brant. "If they don't there will be immediate action and we will be back in full force."

Another man said the whole thing was a sham.

"They gave us an ultimatum. They said leave or get arrested. Does that sound like negotiation to you? I am a Mohawk and nobody is going to tell me to leave my land."

This thing had a lot of potential to get ugly.

Military fatigues and Mohawk men dressed in red Warrior Society colours greeted a person upon arriving here. The second thing one noticed is the smell of smoke from a bonfire of rail ties in front of a bus restricting access to the CN Rail line.

You might think they are spoiling for a fight down here. The protesters, upset about the arrest of native protesters at a standoff near Caledonia, were making no bones about it. They were ready for a battle.

"Yeah," said Mohawk Warrior Shawn Brant, who acted as the leader of the group. "Absolutely."

Lots of young Mohawks were on hand -- dressed in full Warrior garb. One of them named Muckwa was intimidating looking with a big stick holstered on one side of his belt and a hunting knife on the other. He was wearing a bandanna over his face, and a feather was tucked under one ear and he had a permanent scowl on his face. "He's actually a nice guy," one said.

Normally, it's a picturesque country road, 15 minutes east of Belleville, with railroad tracks and barriers that go up and down when a train goes by. Normally, you wouldn't take a second look down that road, but it was not lost on anybody that bringing to a halt the national railway system is serious business.

"It's rural terrorism," said one police officer at the scene.

Technically he's right. It's doubtful the government would tolerate this kind of action from any other group.

As of last night, no one seemed to have been charged with anything.

One Transport Canada official said a much of the freight that comes through here can be hazardous. In other words, no one should be fooling around with the safety of the rail lines.

Some of the protesters said it's the government who are the terrorists. The officials were definitely on the hot seat. The integrity of the rail system was at stake, and after what happened at Ipperwash and the death of Dudley George, no one takes this sort of thing lightly.

A lot of the Mohawks looked prepared for action. Some had knives on their belts and others carried backpacks, not revealing what was inside. Some were thugs. One smashed a Global TV cameraman's camera and others threatened to beat up journalists.

But most were reasonable, like Terry Douglas, 52, a local who tried to keep people calm. "We are tired of our rights being violated," he said.

Brant was another one who kept things cool. At 6-foot-4, with long hair and wearing military battle dress, Brant, 42, looked like a person to be reckoned with. He was involved in both Oka and Ipperwash but he's soft spoken and friendly. "People are excited about the recognition we received today," he said.

Others seemed furious that he was talking with reporters. "The only person who likes the cameras around here is Shawn Brant," one said. "He sold us out."

But Brant said the idea is to get deals, not create wars. He said what they did was necessary. "We have to be prepared to fight for the government to respect us."

Luckily, this time, it didn't come to that.