Indigenous leaders are condemning the “freedom convoy” currently laying siege in Canada’s capital city because its members have continuously misrepresented Indigenous cultures, ceremonies, and struggles—a “horrific” display of the convoy’s “racist nature.”
Anti-vax organizer Pat King—who is also accused of being a pretendian, a person pretending to be Indigenous—attempted to declare last Friday “Orange Shirt Day.”
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“Every child matters, baby! Countrywide walkout. All schools. Protect your children. Wear orange tomorrow. Tomorrow’s Orange Shirt Day,” King said on Facebook Live.
The real Orange Shirt Day, on Sept. 30, commemorates Indigenous children and residential school survivors and their families. When Phyllis Webstad, a survivor, arrived at residential school at the age of 6, she was wearing an orange shirt gifted to her by her grandmother. School administrators immediately stripped the shirt from her and made her change.
The Orange Shirt Society, a nonprofit that spearheads the “Every Child Matters” campaign, distanced itself from the convoy in a statement to VICE World News.
“The freedom convoy and Every Child Matters are separate causes with very different objectives,” the statement says. “Flags, banners, or any other messaging highlighting Every Child Matters at the freedom convoy or their online communications are not endorsed by the Orange Shirt Society.”
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VICE World News previously reported about King’s attempt to align with Indigenous peoples.
One source said King “is trying to log on to something that is really not his business and benefit from it.”
From the beginning, the convoy has been marked with inappropriate use of Indigenous symbolism. There have been several unsanctioned “ceremonies.” Convoy members set up a teepee, as well as an unsanctioned pipe ceremony and sacred fire in Confederation Park, a public park in downtown Ottawa that’s on Algonquin Territory.
Protesters were also caught on camera dancing, drumming, and chanting incoherently, even singing “Yaba daba doo.”
Local Indigenous leaders said they didn’t consent to the activities, which could “cause harm.”
“The actions that are taking place on our Territory are unacceptable,” a joint statement says. “The Algonquin Nation did not give consent for these ceremonial practices.”
“First Nations and non-Indigenous people should always remember protocol and that permission from us is needed to proceed.”
One Indigenous TikToker, Katsi’tsaronhkwas Stacy, said she saw video of a white guy saying it would be “monumental” to see Indigenous people at the front of the convoy in regalia.
“Here I am thinking you want us to be your shield—but where was your support for landback or Every Child Matters?” she said.
Several other Indigenous leaders have also condemned the convoy.
“The appropriation of Indigenous culture to serve a divisive, misinformed agenda is horrific and indicative of the hateful, racist nature of the protests occurring across Canada, on the traditional, unceded territories of First Nations,” said First Nations Leadership Council in a statement.
Many organizers refuse to speak with journalists, but they maintain they aren’t racist. One of the organizers spoke with Fox News and denied racism allegations. “We are not racist. We have nothing to do with the Confederation flag [sic]… It was only one guy. I have all types of friends, colour friends: Spanish, Chinese. They are great people. There is no racism here,” he said.
The convoy, about to enter its third week in Ottawa, started out as a protest against vaccine mandates for truckers traveling across the U.S.-Canada border. It has since devolved into a mixed bag of gripes, including protests against all COVID-related restrictions, most of which are set by the provinces—not the federal government. Many convoy members have also called for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign.
Racism, homophobia, and harassment have been a constant in Ottawa, with local police saying they’ve received more than 200 reports of hate crimes. Police have faced several criticisms for their gentle treatment of the convoy—a stark contrast to the way Indigenous people are often treated when defending their territories.
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