A mass rally organized in support of Six Nations land rights will take place through the downtown on Nov. 7.
Co-ordinated by the Canadian Union of Public Employees 3903 First Nations Solidarity Working Group, the rally will start at 1 p. m. in Victoria Park and will feature speakers from a variety of organizations.
Co-ordinator Tom Reefer said CUPE is extremely supportive of native land rights. It has demonstrated that support since 2006 when it sent messages of solidarity to the Six Nations over the Caledonia land dispute, along with delegations and gifts of food from many union groups.
He noted that unions and First Nations have discovered many shared issues over the years.
"This is going to be a totally peaceful protest," said Reefer. "It's a march, a rally and an educational opportunity since we're expecting at least 150 non-natives from out of town."
Among the speakers at the rally will be Janie Jamieson, one of the women who led the initial charge on the Douglas Creek Estates in Caledonia, Ruby and Floyd Montour, the Six Nations seniors who have stopped development at many places in Brantford, and Aaron Detlor, the lawyer for the Haudenosaunee Development Institute.
Also speaking will be representatives
from the Mohawk Workers, the Black Action Defence Committee, Community Friends in Caledonia, Brantford's TRUE and the Young Onkwehonwe United.
The rally will call for charges against Six Nations land protesters to be dropped, the Brantford injunction against native protests to be halted and meaningful negotiations to move forward.
Reefer said buses will bring in people from Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener and Guelph for the rally. He also expects 100 or more people from Six Nations and more locals from the Brantford area. Car-pooling will be arranged from Ohsweken and Paris, as well.
The rally will make a series of stops, including at city hall, Brant MPP Dave Levac's office, Harmony Square, the Indian Affairs office, Brant's Crossing and Erie Avenue at Birketts Lane, to give speakers a chance to talk about various aspects of the land claims problem,
The rally will end with a potluck and social at 5 p. m. at the former Kanata Village museum on Mohawk Street, which has been taken over by the Mohawk Workers. Organizers are asking people to bring food to share.