Big witness to testify about killing of Native man

Canada
Big witness to testify about killing of Native man
Tuesday, February 14, 2006

The inquiry into the death of Dudley George, an Ojibwe activist who was killed during a police siege in 1995, will be hearing from a big witness over the next four days.

Mike Harris was the premier of Ontario when a group of Native activists, including George and other members of the Stony Point First Nation, staged a peaceful occupation of Ipperwash Provincial Park. They wanted the land returned to the Ojibwe people.

Even through the group was unarmed, the Ontario Park Police opened fire on the Native activists on September 6, 1995, killing George, who was 38 at the time. An officer was later convicted of criminal negligence causing death and resigned from the force.

At issue for Harris is the level of political involvement in incident. Recorded tapes and testimony by others at the inquiry indicate the police were being by "redneck" political leaders to deal with the situation.

"They are f*** barrel suckers, they are just in love with guns . . . they couldn't give a **** less about Indians," a police inspector said on one tape. A second officer said: "They just want to go kick ass."

Charles Harnick, who was attorney general of Ontario under Harris, testified that he heard Harris make an angry remark about the activists. He told the inquiry that Harris said "I want the f------ Indians out of the park" during a high-level meeting.