/* Written 11:58 pm Jan 9, 1993 by act in web:gen.newsletters */
/* ---------- "ACTivist Vol.9#1, January 1993" ---------- */
INNU CAMPAIGN 93 GETS UNDERWAY
By Carolyn Langdon
The ACTivist
On December 22, members of the Planning Committee for the
International Day of Action for the Innu, from ACT for Disarmament
and Voice of Women, accompanied by NDP Member of Parliament Dan
Heap, met with Mr. Roland Fournes, German Consul General, and his aide,
to discuss military flight training in Nitassinan (Labrador and
northeastern Quebec). At the same time about 35 Innu supporters,
including the Raging Grannies, were protesting in front of the German
Consulate.
As part of its contribution to NATO, Canada permits the armed forces
of Germany, Britain and the Netherlands to train in large areas of
Canada which our government considers suitable for military use. The
Innu homeland of Nitassinan is one of these areas, though the Innu
themselves have never been consulted, and for more than ten years
have engaged in non-violent civil disobedience to stop the low-level
flight training over their territory.
At the outset of the meeting with Fournes we stated that we opposed
all military flight training in Nitassinan and that all training should
cease immediately.
We spoke of the traditional way of life of the Innu and their connection
to the land and wildlife; and of the ear-piercing noise of the low level
jet flights that suddenly and violently explode upon the quiet of the
bush. We spoke of the failure of jet pilots to avoid Innu camps. We spoke
of the unwarranted and deplorable NATO policy of training for first
use of nuclear weapons, even now in the post-Cold War world, and of
the twisted minds of military strategists who conjure up hypothetical
threats rather than addressing real dangers to humanity -- such as
destruction of the environment and of indigenous cultures.
We made it clear that we were speaking from a position of strength
-- that the Innu, the Canadian public, and activists worldwide, were
opposed to the military flight training on Innu land. The International
Day of Action for the Innu, April 3, has already received support from
peace groups as far away as India.
Fournes, as Consul General for Toronto, has no direct connection to
the Defence Department, but we hoped that he would have to report
to his superiors the demonstration and our visit. He seemed sympathetic
to our concerns for the environment, and admitted that he had
experienced the horrendous noise of low level flying in Germany and
that "your heart nearly stops!" However, he explained that Canada is
much bigger than Germany.
Fournes agreed to relay our information to the Ambassador in Ottawa,
and to Mr. Volker Ruehe, German Minister of Defence. We also asked
him to arrange a meeting for us with the Ambassador and the military
attache the next time they are in town.
Then we were escorted out of his office, through the padded double
doors, and down the stairs to the street.
To get involved in helping to plan the International Day of Action, or
to organize an event in your community, call ACT for Disarmament,
(416) 531-6154, or your local ACT contact.