In the wake of the horrors of World War II, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. This date is commemorated annually as Human Rights Day.
What can we do to uphold our rights at this time?
I believe treating each other with respect, even when others are abusive, is essential. So is standing up for rights, including the right to a livable future, where we live simply so that others may simply live.
The Coastal GasLink pipeline threatens the right to a livable future, but it also provokes ongoing, flagrant violations of the rights Indigenous people have struggled hard to uphold.
To better understand why opposition to this violation is so strong, (eg. #shutdowncanada) and why that opposition and police-state retaliation continues, two short films will be shown at Powell River Public Library starting at 2 pm on Sunday, December 11: Colonialism in Canada: What is Happening at Unist’ot’en? and Invasion.
John Chan, a former senior environmental protection officer and a seasoned human rights worker who survived many dangerous assignments with Indigenous communities in Central America, will lead discussion after the films.
Jan Slakov is a qathet Regional District resident who lives in the Black Point area.
