Clashes between police and Mohawk protestors lead to several arrests

Mohawk protestors occupying a quarry in Deseronto, ON are not giving up, although in recent weeks, police have dismantled several road blockades and arrested approximately 14 individuals.
"There were a number of community members who were charged with offences concerning the road blockade, but those matters are before the court so I can't comment on those charges," said Tyendiga Chief R. Donald Maracle, who adds the Grand Council did not support the road blockade. "The road block was only up for a couple of days. So it's not any longer happening. It's over. Not all the people charged were members, some were not band members," he said.
Protestors remain at the quarry where they have set up camp for the past year.
According to a media statement released by the Napanee Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), "the Crime Unit laid numerous charges against several people in relation to events that happened in and around Deseronto between April 21 to 26."
During the road blocks, nine people were arrested on May 13 for charges ranging from mischief, failure to comply, obstructing lawful use, and wearing disguise with intent.
Three protestors were accused of assaulting officers on April 25 and those who appeared in court face various charges, including assaulting police, assault with a weapon and mischief.
Shawn Brant ­ who is said to have led the protest ­ faces charges of assault with a weapon, mischief under $5,000, breach of recognizance and possession of marijuana. He was arrested while doing an interview with APTN on April 25.
Although attempts to contact Tyendinaga protestors were unsuccessful, the group ­ who call themselves 'Rotiskenekete' ­ gave their version of recent events in an information update released on April 27. Protestors say their current unrest is due to the plans of Real Estate agents, Emile and Theodore Nibourg, to build condos on Mohawk land.
"An email came from the real estate agents, Emile and Theodore Nibourg, they wanted to make it look like they were building condos. They knew the Mohawks would object. They even told some of us they were hoping to get a pay out guaranteeing their profits from Canadian taxpayers when the deal fell through," the Rotiskenekete statement said.
Developer Emile Nibourg maintains that his father holds title to the land, and on April 21, he sent workers to the site to clear brush, but they left when "40 to 50 Native warriors arrived". Nibourg wrote to politicians to complain and promised his crew would return to the site.
In late April, police dismantled the road blockade erected by protestors on a back road north of Deseronto. Road crews had to fill and repair a large trench dug in the road and use backhoes to remove logs and tires. After the OPP dismantled the largest blockade, at least two smaller roadblocks remained on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.
After the arrests of several protestors ­ including Brant ­ supporters in Caledonia in southwestern Ontario blockaded a highway bypass by welding a hydro tower across the roadway and laying nails to prevent vehicles from passing. The blockade was called off when members of the Six Nations of the Grand River Men's Council decided "the threat of armed police against the Tyendinaga people had been removed.
The property being contested located in the Culbertson Tract, about 400 hectares of land on the Bay of Quinte that protestors said was never properly surrendered. It is part of an area currently under negotiation between the federal government and the Tyendinaga First Nation.
Events leading up to the current situation began last June on the National Day of Protest, when Mohawks forced the closure of several highways in eastern and western Quebec including Highway 401, connecting Montreal and Toronto, railway lines and a major Montreal bridge.
The Whitehorse Star reported last year, during a visit by Ontario's Conservative leader John Tory to Caledonia, he announced a commitment to increase fines to a maximum of $2,000 for individuals and $25,000 for organizations each day land is illegally occupied in protests.
Anyone directing, participating in or financially supporting an illegal land occupation in Ontario would face harsher penalties, he said, adding the proposed changes "would clarify the law for police and also ease the process of claiming compensation for those who suffer some kind of economic loss."