Rally in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en chiefs held in Uptown Waterloo

WATERLOO -

A rally to show solidarity with those in the Wet'suwet'en Territory standing against the construction of a pipeline was held in Uptown Waterloo Wednesday.

Dozens came to Waterloo Town Square for the event dubbed "KW in Solidarity with Wet'suwet'en" hosted by Idle No More Kitchener Waterloo and KW May Day.

The Wet'suwet’en chiefs in British Columbia are standing in opposition of a pipeline being built by Coastal Gaslink, despite it being approved by the elected council.

The Hereditary Chiefs argue that band council members are the only ones with authority over reserve land.

The 670-kilometre pipeline will transport natural gas from Northern B.C. Coastal Gaslink says construction is more than halfway done.

In Waterloo Region, those at the rally say they are also supporting the more than 30 people who have been arrested defending against the construction.

"You need to get the government's attention," said Jesse Schultz. "The federal government, the provincial governments, they need to be aware of this. They need to pay attention and know we will not stand for this.

"They need to know they cannot keep sending the RCMP in to attack Indigenous people for attacking their land. They need to know that we, as a country, as a society, will not stand for that."

Rallies similar to the one in Uptown Waterloo have been happening in several cities across Canada.