The offices of archaeologists involved in the transformation of the Royal Victoria Hospital have recently been vandalized in a further escalation of opposition to the project, accused of breaching potential Aboriginal graves.
Posted at 12:00 a.m.
Hooded individuals dressed in black burst into Arkéos last Friday – frightening the employees present – before painting graffiti on the walls and destroying furniture.
“The surprise was total. It happened quickly, they were well organized, “described archaeologist David Tessier, boss of the firm, in an interview with The Press. He has filed a complaint with the police and is currently trying to assess the cost of the damage.
The action was claimed by far-left activists who did not reveal their identity. They oppose the allocation of part of the former hospital to McGill University, which intends to set up an environmental campus there. Rehabilitation projects are just beginning and archaeological excavations are planned in the short term.
“As anarchist settlers and accomplices, we have decided to attack Arkéos today, because we want them to know that they also bear a responsibility in the colonial project initiated by McGill”, they indicated in their press release. claim, published on a platform frequently used by these activists. “If you don’t want to cry over a few overturned boxes and dirt on your fancy sofas, the best solution would probably be not to accept fucking colonial contracts. »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Posters against archaeological excavations have been put up near the Royal Victoria Hospital.
The same platform had been used to announce the holding of an opposition camp to the project, the previous week. This was quickly dismantled.
“Totally opposed to archaeological intervention”
The anonymous cell indicated that it was acting in support of Mohawk Mothers, a group of activists opposed to the work of transforming the Royal Victoria Hospital.
They allege that indigenous children may have been buried just decades ago on the spot, on the grounds of a research institute with a controversial past. In addition, they are concerned about the centuries-old graves that may be on site. More generally, they assert that Mount Royal is part of an unceded territory and that any project would require the approval of the Aboriginal communities concerned.
“We are totally opposed to archaeological intervention in its current form,” they wrote in a statement last week. “Disturbing ancestral and recent Indigenous burial sites is a very serious issue in our culture. »
However, the Mohawk Mothers group dissociated itself from the action against the Arkéos offices. “We are falsely considered the main suspects in organizing these actions, thus risking searches and police pursuits, even though we had absolutely nothing to do with it,” said a statement published earlier this week. The group says it prefers the legal route and has filed an application for an injunction to stop the work. She should be heard in two weeks.
The group’s French-speaking press officer, who identifies himself as Okwaraken, said they had nothing to add about the action against Arkéos. He added that they intend to argue in court that the excavations which will begin soon do not follow “any recommendation of the Commission [de] truth and [de] reconciliation and the Canadian Archeological Association for the search for unmarked graves”. These recommendations argue that searches for unmarked graves should be coordinated by Indigenous communities themselves. “It’s just inexplicable,” he added.
Arkéos remains involved
On the side of Arkéos, it is said that Friday’s attack will not convince the firm to withdraw from the project. “We don’t want [les ouvriers] dig without archaeologists. It would really be a loss,” Mr. Tessier said. In his opinion, no other firm would want to get involved in a project that has become so politically explosive.
The archaeologist pointed out that in his opinion, the Mohawk Mothers group is not representative of the Kahnawake community, from which it comes. Mr. Tessier argued that his firm had received green lights from the band council and community elders.
He added that claims that relatively recent graves may be at the site are not supported by any hard facts. The search for such graves is more a matter of police work 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 linked to the construction of a prison for migrants in Laval have been targeted by attacks: the car of an architect was even burned in 2019.