Drones over downtown, people in chains, legendary Lonefighters, and getting egged

Photo Essay Part 1: G7 Summit protest on the eve of war

My Scottish/Irish ancestors were immigrants who travelled by ship to the east coast of so-called “Canada” in the late 1700’s or early 1800’s and were part of several waves of genocidal colonization of the Indigenous people on Turtle Island. We arrived uninvited on the traditional unceded territory of the Wəlastəkewiyik (Maliseet) whose ancestors along with the Mi’Kmaq / Mi’kmaw and Passamaquoddy / Peskotomuhkati Tribes / Nations signed Peace and Friendship Treaties with the British Crown in the 1700s. As a child in the 1970’s, my parents moved west to work in the oil sands industry and I grew up in the Nistawâyâw (Cree) Ełídlį Kuę́ (Dene) - Fort McMurray area within Treaty 8 territory, which his home to six First Nations and six Métis communities. Today, I am grateful to be writing this newsletter from Moh’kinsstis, and the traditional Treaty 7 territory of the Blackfoot confederacy: Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations. This territory is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis homeland. I recognize that the land I now work and live on was stolen from these Nations (truth) and I support giving the land back as an act of reconciliation. Lands inhabited by Indigenous Peoples contain 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity. Indigenous Peoples’ traditional knowledge and knowledge systems are key to designing a sustainable future for all. We are all Treaty people on Native land.

It was a blindingly bright Sunday morning and the G7 protests were already underway when I arrived at Calgary City Hall on June 15.

On my way downtown, I had swung by the Fairmont Palliser Hotel to see how much the G7 had altered protocols at the historic luxury hotel that had only days before, celebrated its 111 birthday.

There was a full wrap-around security fence encompassing the stone, steel, and reinforced concrete building. The fencing completely cut off access to the front doors and the public sidewalk. The chain link was wrapped with an opaque material, and a lane on 9th Avenue SW, a major access road into the city’s downtown core, was closed and absorbed into the secure zone. Private guards stood at the gate, controlling who entered the fenced off area.

Later, on my way home, I spotted a drone hovering above the hotel entrance and snapped a photo. A passing tourist half-joked to me that the drone was probably taking a picture of me at the same time.

About a block and a half away, an empty bus draped in a Palestinian flag, with a black and white keffiyeh tied around the side mirror, was parked on the same street. A bored-looking bus driver waited for his passengers to return.

Meanwhile, a jolting scene was unfolding at the Municipal Plaza outside City Hall when I got there. A man dressed in army camouflage was pacing in front of a cowering group of people carrying a black night stick in a threatening way. The small group was dressed in identical fluorescent orange jackets with hoods up, and appeared to be chained together. Their mouths had been taped.

As I approached, I realized it was a reenactment of horrific war crimes, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and sexual violence committed in Ethiopia. A speaker later detailed the long list of atrocities and called on G7 leaders to take action. Listening to the details were so disturbing it left me feeling sick, and a bit overwhelmed.

A large number of groups were expected to gather at the designated protest area, one of only three places people were officially allowed to make their voices heard, according to strict G7 security rules. There were a large number of police with various kinds of weapons on display, and police helicopters buzzed overhead.

The plaza was filled with a cacophony of speeches, with smaller groups moving throughout the crowd, yelling out their concerns, while others used bullhorns, and portable sound systems. Still others had gathered, waiting for their turn at the main microphone.

At times, groups were interrupting each other as they split off from the main crowd into smaller factions to rally and chant, while those at the microphone were forced to try and be heard over the chants.

There was at least one intervention I witnessed where members of the Indigenous Lonefighter Society spoke to a group, inviting them to send one of their representatives to the main stage instead of having them drown out the Indigenous speakers. This is how communities work together to diffuse tensions.

Many were there to express environmental concerns, mainly focused on water sovereignty, coal mining in the Eastern Slopes, Indigenous rights, and climate change.

After the speeches, most of the groups joined as one in a peaceful march through downtown Calgary while their movements were heavily restricted by police. They blocked access west onto Stephen Avenue when the group arrived there.

I’ve walked in many protests, my first being a protest against the war in Iraq (I brought both my kids) but the G7 protest will always stand out for me. I’ve never before been splattered with eggs. They were thrown at us from above and the culprits couldn’t be seen from street level. Cowards.

There were also kids at this protest, including a mother standing not far from me with her baby strapped into a front-facing carrier. It’s difficult to say who threw the eggs, but they came from a fenced in rooftop connected to the US Consulate building. Protest organizers had stopped there to speak up about Gaza and the US arming of Israel’s genocidal attacks on the Palestinian people.

I was watching a person standing alone, wrapped in a flag and facing a line of police on bicycles when I saw this young person. Something about the look on their face stopped me in my tracks.

Let me know what you think of this new format I’m trying out for my photography. In the past, my photo essays have been on my Wordpress blog but I’d like to try out Substack to see if I might reach more people. As always, reach out to me if you’d like to use any of my photographs. Unless it is for commercial purposes, I usually don’t charge a fee, and ask only for a photo credit.

In Part 2 of this series, I’ll be sharing some videos from the protest.

*****

Post scriptum: The US is now at war with Iran. Don’t believe the propaganda. Stay safe everyone.

“Among the calamities of War may be justly numbered the diminution of the love of truth, by the falsehoods which interest dictates and credulity encourages.”
Samuel Johnson in “The Idler,” 1758