Media.Knet.Ca

See news story coverage of the police action below the COO press release along with how other nations are supporting the Six Nation protestors ...

Mohawks briefly block Mercier bridge in Montreal http://www.cbc.ca/montreal/story/qc-mercier20060420.html

BC Chiefs called for an immediate "cooling off" period - http://www.turtleisland.org/discussion/viewtopic.php?p=6856#6856

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060420/police_ontario_060420/20060420/

http://www.canada.com/chtv/hamilton/index.html#

http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/

Native protesters react angrily as police clear building site JENNIFER GRAHAM 

CALEDONIA, Ont. (CP) - Police helicopters roared overhead as defiant native protesters climbed atop buildings and set tires ablaze Thursday in an escalating confrontation between police and Six Nations members occupying a southwestern Ontario construction site.

The angry protesters used a large dump truck and a massive tire fire to block a road leading to a housing project they say sits on native land, brazenly mocking police after a pre-dawn raid that was supposed to end the 52-day occupation.

One protester planted himself on top of the truck and yelled, "What big men they are" as he waved a red Mohawk flag. At the other end of the road, a massive pile of flaming tires sent thick plumes of smoke into the air.

Dozens of Six Nations protesters occupied the Douglas Creek Estates housing project southwest of Hamilton on Feb. 28.

A judge granted an injunction in March to remove the occupiers, and police had been negotiating to have the natives leave the land peacefully throughout the dispute. Tensions mounted earlier this week when talks broke down.

There was a report that at least nine people were arrested Thursday as police moved in with "overwhelming force" in a pre-dawn raid, but the occupiers called in reinforcements and police were quickly forced to retreat.

A spokeswoman for the protesters, Janie Jamieson, said the confrontation is far from over and occupiers were bracing for another visit by police.

"We're prepared . . . for however long it takes," said Jamieson, who noted that a few hundred protesters were already on the scene.

"It's time Canada better stand up and take notice," said another protester. "Everybody that is available is here."

Ontario police Sgt. Dave Rektor refused to confirm any arrests and said there would be no official comment until a news media briefing Thursday afternoon.

Police action against aboriginals is an especially sensitive issue in Ontario where a standoff in 1995 in Ipperwash Provincial Park resulted in the death of protester Dudley George.

Just before 5 a.m., police armed with Tasers, tear gas and pepper spray made their move on the occupation, "incredibly quickly with overwhelming force," protester Mike Desroches told Hamilton's CHCH television.

"The police just completely swarmed the territory," he said, adding that the officers entered the site with guns drawn.

"The police come in - without any warning, they come and raid our village - that's their tactic, they always come in when nobody's aware," Norma General, the mother of protester Chad General, tearfully told CHCH.

One unidentified protester said he was called about two hours after the initial raid and told to go to the scene.

"We got down and we all grouped together and started evicting them (police) - by the use of bodies, no weapons," he said.

Video from the scene Thursday showed a large crowd of police officers moving on foot toward some of the newly arrived protesters.

But about 65 protesters blocked the path of police and began walking toward the officers. Police then slowly retreated onto a dirt road.

After the confrontation, about two dozen police vehicles left the protest site and headed for the nearby town of Caledonia.

At least one Catholic school in the Caledonia area closed for the day at the request of police.

The protesters argued that the site was part of a large land grant back in 1784, but the provincial and federal governments say the land was surrendered in 1841 to help build a major highway.

The protest has irked local residents, 500 of whom turned out earlier this month for a rally to demand that authorities end the occupation.

A spokeswoman for federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice has said the occupation is a provincial matter. The Ontario government said earlier this month that it wanted a negotiated end to the standoff.

On Wednesday, Premier Dalton McGuinty answered opposition questions about the occupation by saying the province and the authorities were committed to a peaceful resolution to the dispute.

The standoff was reminiscent of the aboriginal occupation of Ipperwash Provincial Park, which resulted in the death of protester Dudley George from a police sniper's bullet.

The park was seized by First Nations protesters on Sept. 4, 1995, under the belief it was native territory that had never been properly surrendered.

Provincial police marched on the park two days later, and George was slain in the ensuing showdown.

George's death prompted accusations of police and government racism and an inquiry that is still ongoing.