And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (S.I.S.I.S.) writes: :-:-:S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty:-:-: Jan. 22, 1999 No Copyright; Reproduce Freely NDP MINISTER ATTACKS RELEASE OF SHUSWAP ELDER WOLVERINE There are fears the BC NDP Government may be moving to sabotage the parole granted to Secwepemc traditionalist Wolverine by a National Parole Board hearing last week. BC's Forests Minister, Dave Zirnhelt, said the 67 year old elder shouldn't be freed to "terrorize the people of the Cariboo". He was referring to the 1995 Gustafsen Lake standoff when a massive police and military operation was mounted against the Ts'peten Sundance Camp on unceded, Shuswap traditional territory near 100 Mile House "BC", after camp occupants resisted a violent eviction attempt by a local rancher. Zirnhelt is also a rancher in the area and was BC's Minister of Agriculture at the time of the standoff. There is evidence to indicate the attack upon the camp was an attempt by the BC NDP to demonstrate "firmness" in Aboriginal matters and to salvage "redneck" ridings such as Mr. Zirnhelt's which the NDP were in danger of losing. Both Ottawa and Victoria have refused mounting pressure for a public inquiry into all aspects of the Gustafsen Lake Affair, described as "a classic coverup" by Canadian Dimension Magazine. One aspect of the coverup is Mr. Zirnhelt's own role. During the criminal trial of Wolverine and other Ts'peten Defenders, it was revealed that Zirnhelt had advised cabinet and the RCMP that "Crown land may be involved". It was always maintained by the government and police that the Ts'peten Sundance ground was "private property," despite evidence of "irregularities" with the surveys of the ranch. Appeals attempted by Wolverine have been denied by the notoriously corrupt BC Courts. Shortly after the standoff ended, NDP Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh publicly expressed outrage when Wolverine was granted bail and bail was subsequently revoked. Wolverine has been imprisoned since September 1995. His release was approved by a parole board that found he met the criteria for release. Once again, we have a Minister of the Crown publicly and inappropriately intervening for political purposes in a quasi-judicial decision. There has been no censure of Mr. Zirnhelt for his statements, made not only to media but to area high-school students as well. Please demand the BC NDP Government cease any attempts to sabotage the Parole of Wolverine and immediately allow a full and public inquiry into the Gustafsen Lake affair to go ahead. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: British Columbia's NDP Premier Glen Clark mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] For more information on Dave Zirnhelt's role in the siege of Gustafsen Lake, please visit: http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/GustLake/testimon.html TO SUPPORT A PUBLIC INQUIRY please visit: http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/GustLake/support.html "It was necessary to ensure that the public perceived a continued threat from the people in the camp" -- RCMP Commander Len Olfert in court testimony, January 6, 1997 "Did you find someone that can help us with a disinformation or smear campaign?" -- Dennis Ryan RCMP 'Crisis Management Team' videotape taken during the siege "...surrender of rebels at Gustafsen Lake could help propel BC into a fall election, political analysts said Sunday... NDP support has strengthened over the summer, a phenomenon analysts say shows voters approve of the way the government of Premier Mike Harcourt has handled native Indian militants... One high placed government source predicted Harcourt will call an election before next week." -- Vancouver Sun, Sept. 18, 1995 "The current actions of the BC government and the RCMP towards the Ts'peten Defenders, as well as the negligence of the Canadian national government to intervene and put a halt to these actions, unambiguously qualify as genocide." -- KOLA Belgium letter to PM Chretien April 1997
