Demonstrators paint message of solidarity with Wet'suwet'en chiefs during Hamilton protest

Demonstrators blocked off a section of Bay Street in Hamilton on Sunday, covering the road in big, bright pink letters, sharing a message of solidarity with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs.

"ALL OUT FOR WEDZIN KWA," it read.

That's the Wet'suwet'en name for the Morice River in British Columbia. The waterway is at the centre of a dispute that's seen some members of the Wet'suwet'en Nation occupying Coastal GasLink (CGL) construction site, blocking plans to drill a tunnel for the pipeline underneath it.

The RCMP moved in on the camp on Thursday and have so far arrested 29 people — including protesters from Six Nations of the Grand River — for breaching a B.C. Supreme Court injunction notice allowing the project to move forward.

"The land matters and we can't continue criminalizing Indigenous people for standing up for the land and for our rights as Indigenous peoples," said Jordan Carrier, who helped organize the protest outside the federal building in Hamilton.

The demonstration involved dozens of people who blocked the road for roughly two hours, standing behind a banner reading "We stand with Wet'suwet'en."

They heard from Indigenous speakers, local labour unions, drummers and a musical artist. A solidarity rally was also held in Toronto on Saturday. 

Courtney Skye, a research fellow at the Yellowhead Institute, was among those who addressed the crowd in Hamilton. 

The institute is studying injunctions and they way they're used, she said, describing them as a "way that Indigenous peoples are oppressed by corporations and private interests."

Work toward reconciliation is "completely undermined by our courts and by cops who are not interested in seeing justice for Indigenous peoples," Skye added.

CGL released a statement Friday, saying RCMP actions were "unfortunate" but necessary so that "lawful access" to the work site would be restored. 

The proposed $6.6-billion, 670-kilometre pipeline will deliver natural gas as part of a $40-billion LNG Canada project.

The province and 20 elected First Nations councils along the route, including Wet'suwet'en elected council, approved the construction — but Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs said the project needed their consent too.

They say they are following Wet'suwet'en law that predates colonization and the Indian Act, meaning they assert authority over the broader 22,000 square kilometres of traditional territory that the pipeline would cross.

Demonstrators had occupied the key CGL work site since Sept. 25.

Six Nations members, journalists arrested

Police said upon arrival at the camp Friday, they read a copy the injunction notice and warned to leave multiple times, before forcibly entering and making arrests.

Fifteen people were taken into custody that day, including Sleydo' — also known as Molly Wickham — a key voice of opposition and organization against the pipeline.

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) also said photojournalist Amber Bracken, who was on assignment for news outlet The Narwhal, and documentary filmmaker Michael Toledano were also arrested.

Three Six Nations members, including 1492 Land Back Lane spokesperson Skyler Williams, were also arrested, the crowd in Hamilton was told on Sunday.

The Highway 6 bypass in Caledonia was shut down in solidarity on Friday and remains closed.

In a statement sent to CBC Sunday evening, the city said the paint on Bay Street was being removed "out of an abundance of caution" to ensure the safety of people using the road.

Carrier, a Plains Cree woman and Hamilton resident, said sometimes being an Indigenous person can be "exhausting," but seeing the support on Sunday was an encouragement.

"It's a great way for Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies to come together to show that we're not alone in these issues," she said.

"To be able to see that [we] have supporters here in Hamilton that are standing and demanding change."