The Idle No More movement, along with the courageous hunger strike by Attawapiskat chief Theresa Spence, has brought out thousands who are dedicated to protecting the environment and Aboriginal treaty rights against new federal legislation. Solidarity rallies have even taken place around the world — from New Zealand to Los Angles to London. In the span of a few weeks, Idle No More has become the most significant social movement in Canada since #Occupy and the Quebec student strike.

In October of last year, the Cree community of Attawapiskat (as well as two other nations) declared a state of emergency. The village had once been relocated and supplied with cheap, overcrowded housing arrangements by the federal Canadian government.  Despite claims by the government that Attawapiskat had received millions of dollars from the government to aid the community, today, these dwellings continue to be overcrowded and are quickly deteriorating.

Chief Donny Morris and five other council members from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) have been convicted with contempt for attempting to block uranium exploration by Platinex, a major mining company based in Toronto. This attack on working class natives is occurring in the run-up to the May 29th Native Day of Action. Last year, the event against native poverty roused road and rail blockades as well as large demonstrations – but this year the KI arrests are acting as a lightning rod to channel even more action around the country.

In the early morning of 21st April, officers from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) attacked a housing development that had been taken over by Mohawk protestors, arresting at least 16. This is just the latest in a long series of attacks by the Canadian state against Native peoples who are tired of nearly five centuries of brutal oppression.