Vol. 71/No. 20 May 21, 2007
Letters
Mohawk leader arrested
As a follow up to the article "Natives in Canada barricade railway in fight for land" in the May 14 Militant, I want to inform Militant readers that Shawn Brant, the spokesperson for the action, is now facing criminal charges. He appeared in an Ontario courtroom May 3 in shackles after handing himself over to the provincial police. The charges—disobeying a court order, mischief, and breach of recognizance—violate an immunity agreement between the protesters and the cops when the Mohawks peacefully ended the blockade. The court granted him bail on condition that he not “plan, incite, initiate, encourage or participate in any unlawful protest” including those “that interfere in any way with commercial or non-commercial traffic on public or private roads, airports, railways, or waterways. A trial date has not been set.
John Steele
Toronto, Ontario
Ukraine
A phrase in the article "Power struggle sharpens among bureaucratic rulers in Ukraine" in the May 14 Militant can be misleading. The phrase, "Ukraine, with its 10 million Russian-speaking population," is correct for the number of Russian speakers there and relevant to the article. But this represents around 22% of the total population in a country whose official language is Ukrainian. This is an important clarification, given the long fight of Ukrainians for self-determination and language rights, which was supported by the Bolsheviks and reversed under Stalinist rule.
Marc Lichtman
Brooklyn, New York
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