Newly armed border guards walk off the job in Akwesasne
Mohawk activists can claim a temporary victory over the Canada Border Services Agency after guards abandoned all posts at border crossing stations located on Akwesasne territory. First Nations residents had vowed to use whatever “peaceful means” necessary to protest a plan to arm border guards, which they see as a violation of their sovereignty. According to a statement released by the Mohawks, after spending the weekend in intense negotiations with the agency, the officers “voluntarily decided to leave the Akwesasne Mohawk territory before midnight … for their own safety.” According to Mohawk Council spokesman Brendan White, Akwesasne residents have instructed the Mohawk Warriors to “refrain from confrontation” and eschew violence. “We can’t fight guns with violence. We can’t give them justification to carry firearms. We can’t play into their hands.” As yet, there has been no official comment from CBSA.