The offices of archaeologists involved in the conversion of the Royal Victoria Hospital were recently vandalized in more serious opposition to the project, accused of trespassing on potential Aboriginal graves.
Published at 12:00 am.
Men dressed in black burst into Archeos last Friday before painting graffiti on walls and destroying furniture – terrifying staff there.
“The surprise was total. It happened quickly, they were well organized,” archaeologist David Tessier, the company’s boss, described in an interview. Pres. He filed a police report and is now trying to assess the cost of the damage.
The move was demanded by far-left activists who did not reveal their identity. They are opposed to allocating part of the former hospital to McGill University, which plans to build an environmental campus there. Rehabilitation projects are just beginning, and archaeological excavations are planned in the short term.
“As anarchist colonists and allies, we have decided to attack Archaeos today because we want them to be held accountable for the colonization project that McGill started,” they pointed out in their press release. The statement is often published on a forum. Used by these enthusiasts. “If you don’t want to weep over a few overturned boxes and dirt on your fancy sofas, the best solution would be not to accept colonial contracts. »
Photo by Dominic Gravel, The Press
Posters are put up against the archaeological dig near the Royal Victoria Hospital.
The previous week, the same platform was used to announce a protest camp for the project. It was soon removed.
“Absolutely against archaeological intervention”
The Anonymous cell indicated that it was working in support of the Mohawk Mothers, a group of activists opposed to the replacement of the Royal Victoria Hospital.
Based on a research institute with a controversial past, they allege that Aboriginal children may have been buried at the site decades ago. Additionally, they are concerned about the centuries-old tombs at the site. More generally, they assert that Mount Royal is part of an unrecognized territory and that any project would require the approval of the relevant Aboriginal communities.
“We are absolutely opposed to archaeological intervention in its current form,” they wrote in a statement last week. “Disturbing ancestral and recent native burial sites is a very serious issue in our culture. »
However, the Mohawk Mothers group withdrew from the action against the Arkéos offices. “We are mistakenly believed to be prime suspects in organizing these acts, thus jeopardizing searches and police pursuits, but we have nothing to do with it,” said a statement released earlier this week. The group says it prefers legal recourse and has applied for an injunction to stop the work. She should hear in two weeks.
The group’s French-speaking press officer, who identified himself as Okwarakan, said they had nothing to add to the move against Archios. He also said that he would argue in court that the soon-to-be-started excavation did not follow any of the commission’s recommendations. [de] True and [de] Reconciliation and the Canadian Archaeological Association to search for unmarked graves”. These recommendations argue that searches for unmarked graves should be coordinated by Indigenous communities. “It’s inexplicable,” he added.
Arkéos continues to engage
On Arkéos’ part, Friday’s attack reportedly won’t convince the company to abandon the project. “We don’t want to [les ouvriers] Archaeologists dig without. It will indeed be a loss,” said Mr. Desier said. According to him, no other company wants to be involved in such a politically explosive project.
In his opinion, the archaeologist pointed out that the group of Mohawk Mothers were not representative of the Kahnawake community. Mr. Tessier argued that his company had received the green light from the band council and community elders.
He added that claims that relatively recent graves might be at the site were not supported by hard facts. Searching for such burials is the job of the police rather than archaeology, he said.
This is not the first time that far-left activists have attacked contractors for projects they oppose. Several companies and individuals involved in the construction of a prison for immigrants in Laval have been targeted by attacks: an architect’s car was even burned in 2019.
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