A group of Mohawks barricaded themselves in the band office on the Ontario reserve of Tyendinaga to protest against alleged corruption and mismanagement by the Band Council.
Thirteen of the protesters were eventually arrested when the band called in the riot police, who stormed the barricades. “It’s pretty sad when your own chief and council turn a non-native armed forces on people,” said protest spokesman Mario Baptiste in a Canadian Press report in early June.
“Throw those idiots off the reserve!” shouted someone in the crowd of 120 gathered outside the office to demonstrate against the group’s actions.
Baptiste and other protesters are accusing the band council of being “swindlers and thieves.” A band spokeswomen, Glenda Maracle, conceded “some sloppy” bookkeeping, but added, “I think those kinds of words are too strong.”
The protesters want action after an audit last fall concluded thousands of dollars in band money had been spent without documentation or proper authorization. The council was also the subject of an investigation into corruption by the Ontario Provincial Police anti-racket squad. Baptiste’s group is campaigning to toss out the council and implement tough guidelines for spending public funds.
