Sunday, October 01, 2023

Ford workers walk out as UAW expands strike to Chicago Assembly Plant: ‘It’s our time’

Robert Channick, Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune
Updated Fri, September 29, 2023 




Trent Sprague/Chicago Tribune/TNS

The United Auto Workers expanded its strike to Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant, instructing thousands of workers on the city’s Southeast Side to walk off the job Friday in the union’s ongoing labor dispute with the Big Three automakers.

In an online address to members Friday morning, UAW President Shawn Fain called on the Chicago Ford plant and a GM assembly plant in Michigan to join more than 18,000 other autoworkers at plants and parts distribution centers nationwide on the picket line as the union seeks a new four-year contract.

“We’re on strike until they get this right,” said Chris Pena, president of UAW Local 551, which represents assembly line workers at the Chicago Ford plant.

The Chicago Ford plant has about 4,600 workers on three shifts making the Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator and Police Interceptor SUVs, the automaker said Friday. In 2019, Ford spent $1 billion to transform the nearly century-old Torrence Avenue facility, which phased out production of the Taurus sedan to focus on building SUVs.

The Explorer, which is made exclusively at the Chicago Assembly Plant, is among Ford’s best-selling vehicles.

Ford also employs about 1,000 hourly workers at a nearby stamping plant in Chicago Heights who are members of UAW Local 588. Those workers have not been called to strike by the union.

The UAW represents 146,000 members across the U.S. Earlier this month, the union directed about 13,000 workers to walk off the job and onto the picket line at a GM plant in Missouri, a Stellantis plant in Ohio and a Ford factory in Michigan.

Last week, Fain gave marching orders to 5,600 parts and distribution workers at 38 locations across 20 states to walk off the job, including 92 workers at a GM parts distribution center in Bolingbrook and a Stellantis facility with 95 employees in Naperville.

With the addition of nearly 7,000 workers Friday, the expanded strike against the Big Three automakers includes more than 25,000 UAW members at 43 facilities in 21 states.

The union is seeking pay increases, shorter workweeks and improvements to retiree pensions and health care plans amid record profits for the Big Three automakers, among other demands.

Ken Thomas said when he began working at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant 45 years ago, he and his co-workers were well-paid.

“Unlike now,” Thomas said from the picket line Friday, in the shadow of the plant’s sign advertising the iconic blue and white Ford logo. “The pay is probably less than what I made then,” he said, accounting for cost-of-living increases.

The 66-year-old from Merrillville, Indiana, said he’ll probably be fine financially. But he’s worried that “it’s rough” for new employees — particularly the younger generations as prices of necessities such as housing and groceries continue to go up.

“What we’re fighting is actually no different than what our forefathers fought in the ’30s and ’40s. And it’s a wage gap,” he said. “The problem is that it’s way out of control now.”

Thomas, who began decades ago as an assembler on the engine line and now works as an inspector, was one of about five dozen strikers protesting outside the plant Friday morning, some holding signs declaring “Record profits record contract,” some wearing stickers stating “I don’t want to strike but I will.”

“It’s our time!” one striker yelled.

“Our time!” a crowd of union workers chanted back over the din of cars honking in solidarity as they drove by on Torrence Avenue.

Felicia Green, 56, a final line inspector at the plant, noted the historic nature of the larger labor action, which marks the first time the UAW has called for a strike against all three automakers in the Detroit-based union’s 88-year history.

Green, who lives in Merrillville, said she has been working for Ford for 30 years, first at a plant in Rawsonville, Michigan, and later at Flat Rock, Michigan.

“I personally am inspired,” she said. “Because this is something we’ve never done. But today I had the courage to come over here and just be proud of what we’re doing, for the cause.”

Last week, Fain cited progress in negotiations with Ford in bypassing the automaker — and the Chicago plant — from additional walkouts. This week, it was a different story, with Stellantis the only automaker spared additional strike actions.

“Despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress at the table,” Fain said. “What we win at the bargaining table depends on the power we build on the job. It’s time to use that power.”

During a news conference Friday, Ford President and CEO Jim Farley said the biggest stumbling block in UAW negotiations revolves around four EV battery plants in development — three in Kentucky and Tennessee that are a joint venture with a South Korean partner, and one the automaker is building itself in Michigan.

“What’s really frustrating is that I believe we could have reached a compromise on pay and benefits,” Farley said. “But so far the UAW is holding the deal hostage over battery plants.”

“Keep in mind, these battery plants don’t exist yet,” he said. “They’re mostly joint ventures and they’ve not been organized by the UAW yet because the workers haven’t been hired and won’t be for many years to come.”

Ford paused construction Monday of its $3.5 billion battery plant in Marshall, Michigan, amid the negotiations with the UAW.

Kumar Galhotra, president of Ford Blue, the automaker’s internal combustion division, said adding the Chicago Assembly Plant to a strike that two weeks ago shut down its plant in Wayne, Michigan, which makes the Bronco, will take an economic toll.

“If this continues, week after week, of course, it will have a substantial impact on our business,” Galhotra said.

Gerald Johnson, who heads up global manufacturing for GM, posted an online message to employees Friday morning after the expanded strike call, saying the automaker stands “ready and willing” to continue negotiating with the UAW on a new contract.

“Calling more strikes is just for the headlines, not real progress,” Johnson said. “The number of people negatively impacted by these strikes is growing and includes our customers who buy and love the products we build.”

Stellantis dodged any additional strike actions.

Fain said “significant progress” in negotiations with Stellantis “moments before” the strike announcements Friday included reinstating cost-of-living adjustments that were suspended during the Great Recession in 2009.

“We are excited about this momentum at Stellantis and hope it continues,” Fain said.

In February, Stellantis “indefinitely” idled its 60-year-old auto plant in Belvidere and laid off its last 1,200 union workers after halting Jeep Cherokee production amid dwindling sales. Repurposing the 5 million-square-foot plant likely remains part of any new labor agreement, with everything from a “megahub” parts distribution center to building EV battery components on the table, according to sources familiar with negotiations.

Stellantis said in a statement Friday that it has “made progress in our discussions, but gaps remain.”

As the picket line continued outside the Ford plant Friday afternoon, a driver passing by stopped and dropped off a case of water, expressing support for the strikers.

“A Good Samaritan,” said Frank Stottlemire, a quality operations system coordinator at the plant.

The Hobart, Indiana, resident has worked at Ford for 24 years, and his grandmother and several other family members were also employed by the company.

But he isn’t certain Ford will continue to be such a desirable workplace long term or engender the same worker loyalty in the future. He said newer employees don’t get a pension, a factor that’s helped retain him as an employee for two and a half decades.

“There’s no loyalty to something that doesn’t give you a pension,” he said. “You spend your life in here, and you don’t get a pension?”

Brittany Montgomery, 33, of Momence in Kankakee County added that she has a good job working at the plant, but it’s “a lot of wear and tear on your body.”

Both Stottlemire and Montgomery noted that inflation and the prices of gas, groceries and housing keep rising, without a commensurate wage increase.

“There’s a lot of people here who can’t afford to drive a Ford,” Montgomery added.


The United Auto Workers added thousands of members to the picket lines as it continues to negotiate a new contract with the Big Three automakers. Ford employees in Chicago are among the latest batch of autoworkers called to join the strike.

Ford: UAW holding contract negotiations 'hostage' over electric vehicle battery plants

Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal
Updated Fri, September 29, 2023 


Hours after UAW International President Shawn Fain called thousands of additional workers to join a strike against the Detroit Three automakers, Ford held a media call, saying the "collective future is at stake” for both Ford and the UAW.

“We succeed or we fail together,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said.

Farley called the contract proposal Ford offered the UAW on Sept. 12 "historic" and said it would put its workers in the top 30% of all full-time manufacturers in the U.S. based on proposed wages and bonuses.

But the UAW has held the negotiations "hostage" over electric vehicle battery plant concerns, which are not directly related to this contract, Farley said.

“If the UAW’s goal is a record contract, they have already achieved this,” Farley said. “It is grossly irresponsible to escalate these strikes and hurt thousands of families.”

The autoworkers strike — against Ford, General Motors and Chrysler parent Stellantis — is the first UAW strike at Ford in nearly 50 years. As of noon Friday, more than 25,000 autoworkers were on strike across more than 40 plants nationwide.

The contract Ford proposed boosted wage increases by more than 20%, will restore cost-of-living allowances, eliminate wage tiers, offer layoff protections for permanent workers, made product commitments for all UAW plants in America, along with a handful of other things, according to a slideshow presented by Ford. The company has continued to negotiate and improve its offer since Sept. 12, a press release stated.

Throughout the negotiations, Fain has shared concerns that the transition to electric vehicles will cause harm and job loss for UAW workers, but Ford officials continue to deny this. Vice President, Americas Manufacturing & Labor Affairs, Ford Blue, Bryce Currie said that Ford is actually adding jobs to support its EV expansion and adding jobs to its non-electric vehicle plants.

Farley said the UAW is focusing on the company’s battery plants currently in development, such as the BlueOval SK Battery Park in Glendale. The plants are joint ventures and workers will have to decide about unionizing after they open.

“[Electric vehicles] have become a political football and it’s a shame,” Farley said.

In response to Farley's comments Friday, Fain said he doesn't know why "Jim Farley is lying about the state of negotiations … we are far apart on core economic proposals like retirement security and post-retirement healthcare, as well as job security in this EV transition, which Farley himself says is going to cut 40% of our members’ jobs.”

Farley said the future of the American auto industry and the industrial Midwest stands to be impacted the most as the UAW strike continues.

“That is why we are going to keep trying to reach an agreement with the UAW,” Farley said.

Ford has already felt significant impacts with both the Chicago Assembly and Michigan Assembly Plants down as strikes carry on at those facilities. On top of this, Ford suppliers nationwide are experiencing negative impacts, including hundreds of thousands of workers potentially facing layoffs in the near future as the strike continues, Liz Door, Ford's chief supply chain officer said.

"If this continues week after week, it of course will have a substantial impact on our company," said Ford Blue President, Kumar Galhotra.

Contact business reporter Olivia Evans at oevans@courier-journal.com or on Twitter at @oliviamevans_.

US auto strike expands with 7,000 more workers joining

Daniel AVIS
Fri, September 29, 2023 

Members of the United Auto Workers Local 230 walk the picket line in front of the Chrysler Corporate Parts Division in Ontario, California, on September 26, 2023, in solidarity with "Big Three" autoworkers currently on strike (Patrick T. Fallon)

Another 7,000 members of the biggest US automobile workers' union on Friday joined its already major strike against the country's "Big Three" Detroit car manufacturers.

The latest walkouts leave a total of some 25,000 workers on strike in 21 states -- or around 17 percent of the United Auto Workers' membership.

UAW president Shawn Fain said the latest members to join the strike were at two plants in Chicago and Michigan, who downed tools at 1600 GMT.

"Our courageous members at these two plants are the next wave of reinforcements in our fight for record contracts," Fain said.

The industrial action is the first-ever joint strike at the major automakers -- Ford, GM and Chrysler producer Stellantis -- in a push for higher salaries and other improvements.

Fain noted however that he would not call on additional members to suspend their activity at Stellantis due to "significant progress" on several points currently under discussion.

Fain mentioned a mechanism for adjusting salaries to the cost of living as well as the right to strike in the event of a site closure or relocation announcement by the manufacturer.

The union has asked for a 40 percent pay raise over the next four-year contract, while the three companies have been offering raises of around 20 percent.

It's also been negotiating to represent workers at battery plants planned by Ford, which the auto giant has so far resisted.

UAW has used the targeted strike, which began on September 15, as a bargaining chip, ramping up the pressure on the three automakers in a bid to reach a deal.

- 'Holding the deal hostage' -

Ford President Jim Farley, who has remained relatively silent until now, came out strongly Friday against Fain's negotiating tactics.

"I believe we could have reached a compromise on pay and benefits, but so far the UAW is holding the deal hostage over battery plants," he told reporters.

Fain later hit back. "I don’t know why Jim Farley is lying about the state of negotiations. It could be because he failed to show up for bargaining this week, as he has for most of the past ten weeks," he said.

"If he were there, he’d know we gave Ford a comprehensive proposal on Monday and still haven’t heard back."

Ford recently paused construction at one of its plants, and warned it may have to scale back its ambitions for the project.

Stellantis said in a statement it has been "intensely working with the UAW to find solutions to the issues that are of most concern to our employees while ensuring the company can remain competitive."

"We have made progress in our discussions, but gaps remain," it said, adding it was committed to reaching "a fair and responsible agreement that gets everyone back to work as soon as possible."

- The strike gets political -

The strike has ramped up the significance of Michigan's swing state status in the 2024 presidential election.

Earlier this week, Joe Biden became the first sitting US president to stand on a picket line, joining UAW members in Michigan in a bold pitch for blue collar votes against likely election rival Donald Trump.

Wearing a UAW baseball cap, the Democrat used a bullhorn to tell red-shirted workers they deserved "a hell of a lot more than what you're getting."

Trump's Republican party is typically hostile toward unions, though is often able to pick up significant numbers of working class votes. Trump spoke at a non-union auto facility in the Detroit suburbs saying that he wants "a future that protects American labor, not foreign labor."

On Friday, Fain called Biden's visit a "historic day."

"The most powerful man in the world shows up for one reason only," he said. "Because our solidarity is the most powerful force in the world."

"When we stand together united in the cause of economic and social justice, there's nothing we can't do," he added.

UAW strikes spread to Chicago, Lansing as 7,000 more workers join the picket line

WGN - Chicago
Fri, September 29, 2023 at 3:18 PM MDT

The United Auto Workers union says its two-week strike against Detroit automakers will spread to 7,000 more workers at a Ford plant in Chicago and a General Motors assembly factory near Lansing, Michigan. 
READ MORE: https://wgntv.com/news/uaw-threaten-to-expand-strikes-against-big-3-automakers-friday/

UAW strike: Car workers escalate action, clouding US economy

Natalie Sherman - BBC
Business reporter, New York
Fri, September 29, 2023 

A walkout targeting Detroit's Big Three started on 15 September

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union is expanding a strike at some of America's biggest car firms, sending the row over pay and benefits into its third week.

Union boss Shawn Fain said 7,000 more staff at Ford and General Motors factories are set to walk off the job.

The latest action did not target Stellantis, reflecting new momentum in those talks, he said.

Roughly 18,000 workers were already on strike in a dispute that has cast a cloud over the US economy.

US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, who is running for re-election, both visited the Detroit area this week to address the issue, which comes as labour tensions simmer across the country.

The union opened talks seeking a roughly 40% rise in pay over four years and an end to practices that give newer hires lower pay and fewer benefits, among other demands.

The companies have maintained that the union's requests would hurt their ability to invest in the long term. They have countered with a roughly 20% pay increase and some other concessions.

On the picket line in Michigan this week, many workers said they were ready for an extended fight.

"People are fed up. We want there to be a middle class," said Emily Yettaw, who has worked at GM for 17 years. "They're making billions in profit and we deserve better."

Emily Yettaw, right, is among the GM workers on strike in Ypsilanti Michigan

The union, which represents 146,000 workers at the three companies, has been slowly ratcheting up pressure on the car makers to strike a deal since labour contracts expired on 14 September.

The latest action expands the work stoppages to a Ford factory in Chicago that makes Explorers, and a GM factory in Michigan which makes large crossover SUVs such as the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave.

The union's prior targets included 38 facilities that distribute parts to dealers and three factories - one at each company.

In a message to employees, General Motors said "calling more strikes is just for the headlines, not real progress".

The company said it had not received a "comprehensive" reply since it put forward a proposal on 21 September. It said that offer provided workers with "historic wage increases and job security while not jeopardizing our future".

"We continue to stand ready and willing to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement that benefits you and doesn't let the non-union manufacturers win," said Gerald Johnson, executive vice president for global manufacturing.

The economic impact of the action remains limited, but is building. In just its first week, the stand-off had led to an estimated $1.6bn (£1.3bn) in economic losses, including more than $100m (£81m) in lost wages - a cost that is weighing on local economies.

Jennifer Romero owns the Karma Coffee & Kitchen in Wayne, Michigan. Her shop, with a flier in the window supporting the strike, is located just down the road from a closed Ford factory. Jennifer says sales have been noticeably slow at her store.

Jennifer and David Romero said they supported the workers but could see the economic hit from the strike

"Our neighbourhood is mostly blue collar workers," she said. "If they're not working, they're not spending money and if they're not spending money, we're not making money."

For the car companies, which are facing heavy investment costs and intense competition as the industry ramps up production of electric cars, the timing of the dispute "could not be worse", said Wall Street analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities.

"This UAW debacle strike trajectory is like watching a slow moving car crash take place on black ice," he wrote in a note on Friday.

"This is a defining period for Detroit and the future of the auto industry as we firmly believe that if GM, Ford, Stellantis accept anything close to the deal on the table the future will be very bleak for the US auto industry."

For now, workers on the picket line in the Detroit area this week said they remained committed to the fight, despite the loss of income for many that will come from receiving just $500 (£410) in strike pay a week.

"It's ramen noodles and mac and cheese time," GM workers in Ypsilanti joked. "No more Red Lobster."

"I don't think anybody is scared to be out here," added Kemi Hooker, 53, who has worked for GM for 24 years. "We'll do what it takes".
The police chief who led a raid of a small Kansas newspaper has been suspended

SUMMER BALLENTINE
Sat, September 30, 2023 




 The offices of the Marion County Record weekly newspaper sit across the street from the Marion County, Kan., Courthouse, Aug. 21, 2023, in Marion. The police chief who led a highly criticized raid of the small Kansas newspaper is suspended, the mayor confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday, Sept. 30. Marion Mayor Dave Mayfield in a text said he suspended Chief Gideon Cody on Thursday, Sept. 28.
 (AP Photo/John Hanna, File)

The police chief who led a highly criticized raid of a small Kansas newspaper has been suspended, the mayor confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday.

Marion Mayor Dave Mayfield in a text said he suspended Chief Gideon Cody on Thursday. He declined to discuss his decision further and did not say whether Cody was still being paid.

Voice messages and emails from the AP seeking comment from Cody's lawyers were not immediately returned Saturday.

The Aug. 11 searches of the Marion County Record’s office and the homes of its publisher and a City Council member have been sharply criticized, putting Marion at the center of a debate over the press protections offered by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Cody's suspension is a reversal for the mayor, who previously said he would wait for results from a state police investigation before taking action.

Vice-Mayor Ruth Herbel, whose home was also raided Aug. 11, praised Cody's suspension as “the best thing that can happen to Marion right now” as the central Kansas town of about 1,900 people struggles to move forward under the national spotlight.

“We can't duck our heads until it goes away, because it’s not going to go away until we do something about it,” Herbel said.

Cody has said little publicly since the raids other than posting a defense of them on the police department’s Facebook page. In court documents he filed to get the search warrants, he argued that he had probable cause to believe the newspaper and Herbel, whose home was also raided, had violated state laws against identity theft or computer crimes.

The raids came after a local restaurant owner accused the newspaper of illegally accessing information about her. A spokesman for the agency that maintains those records has said the newspaper’s online search that a reporter did was likely legal even though the reporter needed personal information about the restaurant owner that a tipster provided to look up her driving record.

The newspaper’s publisher Eric Meyer has said the identity theft allegations simply provided a convenient excuse for the search after his reporters had been digging for background information on Cody, who was appointed this summer.

Legal experts believe the raid on the newspaper violated a federal privacy law or a state law shielding journalists from having to identify sources or turn over unpublished material to law enforcement.

Video of the raid on the home of publisher Eric Meyer shows how distraught his 98-year-old mother became as officers searched through their belongings. Meyer said he believes that stress contributed to the death of his mother, Joan Meyer, a day later.

Another reporter last month filed a federal lawsuit against the police chief over the raid.
ANTI WOKE MAGA GUNMAN
New Mexico man charged with attempted murder in protest shooting

Andrew Hay
Updated Fri, September 29, 2023 


(Reuters) -A New Mexico man was charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting a demonstrator at a protest over plans to reinstall a statue of a Spanish conquistador in the north of the state, police said.

Twenty-three-year-old Ryan Martinez of Sandia Park was arrested on Thursday after he shot a 42-year-old man while attempting to disrupt a peaceful protest at a civic center in Espanola, state police said in a statement.

The return of the statue of 16th-century colonial ruler Juan de Onate to a pedestal outside the public offices had been planned for Thursday but postponed by officials due to security concerns. The bronze was taken down in 2020 during nationwide anti-racism protests to topple monuments to European colonizers and Confederate officials.

A public defender assigned to Martinez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The wounded man, identified by family as Native American climate activist Jacob Johns of Seattle, was in critical condition at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque awaiting surgery, said Mateo Peixinho, an organizer for the protest rally.

"We strongly believe this fits the definition of a hate crime and domestic terrorism due to the fact that he was wearing a MAGA hat and displaying instigating behavior all morning," Peixinho said in a statement, referring to the "Make America Great Again" slogan used by former President Donald Trump.

Police said Martinez jumped a low wall and got into a scuffle with protesters before he pulled a handgun from his waistband, fired one shot and fled.

It was the latest violence around statues to Onate, the area's first colonial governor, erected in the 1990s to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Spaniards.

The monuments have long outraged Native Americans and others who trace Onate's brutal 1598 colonization to contemporary problems ranging from gender inequality to institutional racism.

Some ancestors of Spanish colonial settlers, known as Hispanos, say he should be celebrated as part of New Mexico's Hispanic heritage.

(Reporting By Andrew Hay; Editing by Chris Reese and William Mallard)


Suspect arrested in shooting that injured 1 at site of New Mexico statue protest

Clyde Hughes
Fri, September 29, 2023 

Simaah/Pixabay

Sept. 29 (UPI) -- One person was arrested after a shooting that injured one person at a rally against plans to erect a statue of a Spanish conquistador in New Mexico.

Ryan Martinez, 23, was arrested by Pojoaque Pueblo police at around 12:15 p.m. MDT on Thursday after fleeing the scene in a white Tesla.

Protesters had gathered at the Rio Arriba County government building in Espanola, N.M., to demonstrate against the county government's plan to install the nearly 30-year-old bronze statue of the Spanish conquistador Juan de Onate.

Witnesses said a scuffle took place during a speech at the site before a shot rang out as organizers said Martinez attempted to make his way up to a pedestal where the statue was set to be placed.

One person, identified as Jacob Johns, of Spokane, Wash., was struck by a single bullet in the chest and was in stable condition at Presbyterian Espanola Hospital.

Authorities did not immediately provide further details of the shooting, including publicly naming Martinez as the suspect or what charges he may face.

The statue of Onate was taken down by the Rio Arriba County government in 2020, with some accusing him of enslaving the local Pueblo population. '

"He stood for violence, for genocide, for rape," Jennifer Marley of the group San Ildefonso Pueblo, said. "That point was proven today."


Man shot at protest against plans to reinstall controversial New Mexico conquistador statue

Joe Sutton and Amanda Jackson, CNN
Fri, September 29, 2023 

A man was shot Thursday during a protest against plans to reinstall a statue of a controversial Spanish conquistador in northern New Mexico, police say.

Demonstrators were gathered in the city of Española, where officials had planned to reinstall a statue of Juan de Oñate but canceled the event over public safety concerns.

Ryan Martinez, 23, is suspected of shooting a man during an altercation that broke out at the protest, Rio Arriba County Sheriff Billy Merrifield said.

Martinez, who was taken into custody Thursday, was being held on charges of attempted murder in the first degree and aggravated assault, New Mexico State Police said Friday.

The man who was wounded was airlifted to a hospital in Albuquerque, said Merrifield, who did not know the victim’s condition.

New Mexico State Police are investigating the shooting, they said.

The statue of Oñate, who established the colony of New Mexico over 400 years ago, initially stood in the neighboring city of Alcalde, but was taken down in 2020 after protests demanding its removal. That came amid a wave of demonstrations in cities nationwide over monuments of controversial historical figures, including slaveowners, Confederate leaders and colonizers.

Oñate led a massacre of 800 to 1,000 indigenous people, after which he cut a foot off some survivors and sold some into slavery. He was later convicted of using excessive force and banished from New Mexico, and he remains a controversial figure in the state.

Rio Arriba County commissioners decided to reinstall the statue in a new location in front of a county building in Española, according to the sheriff.

The rededication of Oñate’s statue was scheduled to take place Thursday, but county officials postponed the event, citing safety concerns.

Despite the postponement, some demonstrators still showed up at the site on Thursday to protest the plan to install the statue.

Video recorded by a witness shows the moments leading to the shooting, in which a scuffle breaks out between a man and a group of others. The man eventually jumps over a retaining wall to escape the others before producing a gun and aiming toward them, the video shows. A gunshot is heard.

It’s unclear what led to the initial scuffle.


Ryan Martinez, center, stands at a rally outside a Rio Arriba County building on Thursday. Police say he later shot and wounded a man during a scuffle.
 - Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal/Zuma

The witness, Ray Naranjo, told CNN the shooter fled in a car as someone at the event followed him.

Merrifield had submitted a letter to the county’s commissioners on Thursday advising them that he “disagreed with them moving the statue at the current time” and wanted to “prevent any kind of safety issues (or) concerns, which we knew we were going to have,” he said at a news conference Thursday.

“Obviously we have a situation as of today,” he added.

Merrifield added he was grateful for the two commissioners who decided to stop the statue’s planned installation Thursday.


New Mexico man charged with attempted murder in shooting at protest over Spanish conquistador statue

MORGAN LEE
Fri, September 29, 2023 







Activists tend to a shooting victim during a protest where officials had planned to install a statue of Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, in Española, N.M
. (Luis Sanchez Saturno/Santa Fe New Mexican via AP)

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man was charged Friday with attempted murder in a shooting that wounded one person at a protest over plans to install a statue of a Spanish conquistador outside government offices in the city of Española.

Defendant Ryan David Martinez, from Sandia Park, was read the felony charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon at his first appearance in municipal court. No plea was entered.

A temporary public defender assigned to Martinez could not be reached immediately by phone and didn't respond to voice messages. An apparent relative of the defendant answered the phone but declined to comment or confirm her family relation.

Martinez was arrested Thursday after chaos erupted and a shot was fired during protests in Española about plans to install a bronze likeness of conquistador Juan de Oñate, who is both revered and reviled for his role in establishing early settlements along the Upper Rio Grande starting in 1598.

Installation of the statue was planned for Thursday but was canceled by county officials amid security concerns. The statue of Oñate in armor on horseback was commissioned in the 1990s and installed near Española amid fanfare and resentment. The statute was taken down in 2020 during a national movement for racial justice that sought to topple countless monuments.

The victim of Thursday's shooting, a 42-year-old man, was flown to an Albuquerque hospital for treatment of a wound to the abdomen. His condition was not immediately available from state police overseeing the shooting investigation.

A warrant for Martinez's arrest includes testimony from witnesses who described an otherwise peaceful protest Thursday and the arrival of several men in “MAGA” hats. One witness told state police that protesters' children were gathered together near a makeshift shrine at the pedestal intended for the Oñate statue, amid misgivings about safety, and that “peacekeepers” blocked Martinez's way from entering the area.

Police reviewed video of the confrontation as recordings circulated on social media.

“Ryan is seen attempting to rush the shrine and being stopped by a group of men,” Officer Shane Faulkner says in the narrative. “As Ryan (retreated) back over the short wall, a man can be heard saying, ‘Let him go.’ The group of men do not try to pursue Ryan, and Ryan pulled his handgun from his waistband and shoots.”

Martinez was transported to a detention center in the Rio Arriba County government seat of Tierra Amarilla. A hearing on possible terms of pretrial detention is scheduled next week.

A pretrial services report showed no prior convictions for Martinez and no prior failures to appear in court.

___

Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque contributed to this story.

Shooter opens fire at New Mexico protest against conquistador statue, injuring 1

Chris Pandolfo
Fri, September 29, 2023 




A man was shot Thursday after gunfire erupted at a protest in northern New Mexico, where activists opposed the installation of a statue of Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate.

The man was injured and taken to the hospital while Rio Arriba County sheriff's officials arrested the suspected shooter, 23-year-old Ryan Martinez. Authorities said Martinez was the only suspect wanted in connection to the shooting.

Oñate has been a controversial figure in New Mexico's history for generations. Activists have targeted the statue and other likenesses of the Spaniard for what they say was his brutal and oppressive treatment of Native Americans during the Spanish conquest of what is now the Southwestern United States. Some Hispanics view the statue as a symbol of their heritage.

The county had previously postponed the installation of the statue in anticipation of public safety concerns, according to The Associated Press.

Protesters arrived Tuesday and pitched tents. They placed offerings on and around the empty pedestal to Oñate, including pottery, corn stalks, votive candles and a basket of vegetables. Banners read, "not today Oñate," and "celebrate resistance not conquistadores."

The suspected shooter had argued with protesters and was told by law enforcement officers to leave before violence erupted. Video filmed by an onlooker showed an altercation between the man and a group of protesters which ended in a shooting.

A witness told local news station KRQE that the suspect was trying to get back into the protest circle, which was right in front of the sheriff's office.

"He was trying to get back into the circle. And they were trying to hold him from coming back in because there were children there. And that’s when an altercation took place," said witness Raymon Naranj.

The video shows the suspect, wearing a green sweatshirt and red MAGA hat, hop over a short wall and rush at the crowd while others grabbed him.

"Hey, hey, hey. Let him go!" one person yelled before the suspect broke free and jumped back over the wall. He then drew a gun from his waistband and appeared to fire a single shot before fleeing the scene. People can be heard screaming after the shot rang out.

One person could be heard saying, "Help me! Help me!" and "I can't breathe."

The wounded man, who has not been identified, was shot in the upper torso and was being treated at a local hospital, authorities said.

Authorities said they have not determined a motive in the shooting.

"Once again, the saddest part about this is we have another incident of gun violence," County Sheriff Billy Merrifield told reporters.

This is the second time someone was shot at a Juan de Oñate statue protest. On June 15, 2020, Scott Williams was shot after protesters attempted to topple a bronze Oñate statue outside an Albuquerque museum. Williams was taken to a local hospital where he was listed in critical but stable condition, police said at the time.

The man who shot and injured Williams, Stephen Baca, had claimed self-defense. He pleaded no contest to one aggravated battery charge and guilty to battery for pushing two women down. Baca also pleaded guilty to unlawfully carrying a deadly weapon because he concealed his gun without a license, KRQE reported.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez condemned Thursdays' shooting in a statement.

"I strongly condemn the cowardly act of violence that we witnessed today in Rio Arriba County and stand ready to assist local law enforcement in whatever way possible. There is no excuse and no place for political violence in America. Regardless of our diverse political views we must remain committed to the rule of law and the right of every citizen to express themselves without fear," Torrez said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
CANADA
Trudeau says 'denialism' rising as nation marks holiday for indigenous reconciliation

Reuters
Updated Sat, September 30, 2023 




PM Trudeau visits Lac La Ronge

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday warned about the rise of "denialism" and said uncovering the truth was more important than ever as the nation gathered to honor the lost children and survivors of indigenous schools.

Trudeau's statement was made on National Truth and Reconciliation Day, which recognizes the legacy of the residential schools, which operated between 1831 and 1996 and removed about 150,000 indigenous children from their families. Some were subjected to abuse, rape and malnutrition at schools in what the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 called "cultural genocide."

"We must never forget the past and the injustices committed against Indigenous Peoples at residential schools, as well as the intergenerational trauma that remains today," Trudeau said in a statement. "Right now, with denialism sadly on the rise, uncovering the whole truth is more important than ever."

Canada's indigenous peoples suffer from higher levels of poverty and violence, and shorter life expectancies.

Trudeau had drawn criticism on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in 2021 for flying to the west coast with his family shortly after his after his own government designated the day as a federal holiday.

(Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Toronto; Editing by Leslie Adler)



'Doesn't mean a lot without action': Reflections on Canada's third National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30

While efforts to raise awareness are underway, it doesn't appear to be leading to much systemic change, according to experts who spoke to Yahoo Canada.

Elianna Lev
Fri, September 29, 2023 

People attend the second annual Orange Shirt Day Survivors Walk and PowWow on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg, Friday, September 30, 2022. The Manitoba government will not make Orange Shirt Day a statutory holiday this year. Premier Heather Stefanson says consultations are ongoing and there is still not a consensus on how the day should be marked. 

THE CANADIAN PRESS/John WoodsMore

On Sept. 30, Canada will mark the third National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR), intended for Canadians to honour survivors of residential schools, and those who never made it home.

Many across the country will commemorate the day in their communities with pow-wows, ceremonies and special services, while some federal buildings like the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill will be illuminated in orange. Canadian brands like Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire are selling orange sprinkle donuts and orange T-shirts, respectively, to raise money for Indigenous charities.

But while the efforts to raise awareness are underway, it doesn't appear to be leading to much systemic change, according to experts who spoke to Yahoo Canada.

Dr. Suzanne Stewart is a psychologist and professor of public health at University of Toronto, and a member of the Yellowknife Dene First Nation. She says that it’s a positive thing to see Indigenous reconciliation on the consciousness of the national landscape, but awareness and recognition are only going to get the country so far.

“Awareness doesn’t mean a lot without action and behavioural change,” Stewart says.

Over the past several years, there have been some steps towards change as a result of awareness. Toronto Metropolitan University is a prominent example: The university formally changed its name from Ryerson, whose namesake, Egerton Ryerson had ties to residential schools. Prior to the inaugural NDTR, statues and monuments for controversial figures with ties to residential schools started coming down across the country, and several public schools have been renamed.

But Stewart points out that if we take a deeper look, things are not improving for Indigenous communities when it comes to the discrimination they continually face in healthcare, social services, education, and in the justice system.

“While we have these nice sanitary things like donuts with orange on them, are these real things that matter and are affecting and saving our lives or improving the quality of life for Indigenous people happening right now? No, they aren’t,” she says. “In fact they’re getting worse.”


Sherry Starr and Wab Kinew lead the grand entrance at the second annual Orange Shirt Day Survivors Walk and Pow Wow on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg, Friday, September 30, 2022.
John Woods (The Canadian Press)

According to Homelessness Hub, a web-based research library and information centre, Indigenous people across the country are disproportionately affected by homelessness. A 2021 report from the City of Toronto, for example, found that Indigenous people make up 2.5 per cent of the city's population, yet 15 per cent of people experiencing homelessness.

2019 StatCan report found that suicide rates among First Nations people, Métis and Inuit were significantly higher than that among non-Indigenous people. The report showed that compared to the rate of non-Indigenous people, the risk of suicide was 1.6 times higher among Métis people, three times higher for First Nations people and nine times higher for Inuit people.

Buying a donut with orange sprinkles on it isn’t alleviating the realities our communities face, on reserve and off reserve.

Graham Paradis is a citizen of the Métis nation and a researcher with Archipel Research and Consulting. He says the most important and positive thing to come away with on NDTR is education and it appears people are learning about the issues faced by Indigenous communities.

“I think the more we’re able to educate the non-Indigenous population about our stories, our history, our present and foreseeable future, the better we can come to reconciling with Canada as a whole,” he says.

Paradis says public events for NDTR are an important way for people to interact with Indigenous communities and understand why things are the way they are and how things got that way. However, Canadians should try to recognize and avoid resting on the laurels of feel-good incentives.

“Buying a donut with orange sprinkles on it isn’t alleviating the realities our communities face, on reserve and off reserve,” Paradis says. “An orange donut ain’t fixing that any time soon.”

He admits it’s tough to pinpoint what non-Indigenous Canadians can do to affect more concrete change, aside from educating themselves, voting and showing up as allies.

And while most Canadians might feel good about concrete changes that are being made, like the fact that NDTR happens every year, or schools are being renamed, Paradis says that’s where they might get complicit.

“They’re not going to see the situation on reserve, they’re not going to see that nothing has changed within an Indigenous community,” he says. “It almost puts blinders on the average public and that’s what we need to be careful of with these types of celebrations and actions. That people don’t get comfortable and complicit.”

I don’t want it to become a performative day where people are just wearing orange shirts and showing up for a day.

Jaelyn Terriak, an Inuk researcher and facilitator with Archipel, also has mixed feelings about NDTR.

While she thinks it's important to have a day for people to educate themselves on the truth about the country's history and have important conversations, she hopes Canadians are committed to doing more work beyond the one day, when it comes to reconciliation.

“I don’t want it to become a performative day where people are just wearing orange shirts and showing up for a day but there’s nothing happening behind their actions,” she says. “Whether it’s individuals or organizations, we have to go beyond the truth part and there needs to be more actions.”

Terriak says that includes everything from donating to Indigenous organizations to having conversations with problematic family members to reading books about colonialism.

“Learn about settler colonialism, learn about capitalism and how that affects our communities,” she says. “Things just need to go a step further.”

Like Terriak, Stewart says that NDTR is a good step toward bringing awareness but it can’t stop there. She advises Canadians to become familiar with the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

“Change is a multi-level process that’s nonlinear,” she says. “And the next stage of change is about mobilizing our resources to make the change that we need to make. That involves bringing people together, strengthening relationships, learning about colonial history and its impacts on ourselves and other people in our community including Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.”

Opinion

Canadian residential school deaths significantly higher than previously reported

Terri Cardinal, MacEwan University
Fri, September 29, 2023 

A Canadian flag is hung up side down as a protest for the 215 children buried in an unmarked mass grave on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kahnawake reserve, Canada, in 2021.
 File Photo by Andre Pichette/EPA-EFE

Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Over the past year, I have worked at University nuhelot'įne thaiyots'į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills as the Indian Residential School Coordinator. There, I spent time speaking with survivors of Indian Residential Schools and I also helped conduct a search for grave sites of missing children.

Listening to the truths of residential school survivors was a stark reminder that we need to continue educating people about what happened at these schools, both for Indigenous and non-Indigenous folks. I also learned and reflected on the mortality at Indian Residential Schools across Canada.

Over 150,000 First Nation, Métis and Inuit children attended Indian Residential Schools and although the official records are incomplete, it is estimated that thousands of children died at those schools.

Between 1931 and 1996, there were 139 Indian Residential Schools operating in Canada. In 2019, the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation shared the names of 2,800 children who had died in those schools. At that time, it was believed that there were still an additional 1,600 unnamed children.

As communities have continued to push for searches across the country, the numbers have kept growing. The most recent collective findings from community searches across the country (versus the official numbers of recorded deaths) suggest that the number of deaths may be much greater than those originally reported.

A father and his children walk near a tribute in front of the Catholic St-Franics Xavier Mission for the 215 children buried in an unmarked mass grave on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kahnawake reserve, Canada, in 2021. 
File Photo by Andre Pichette/EPA-EFE

These new findings support the accounts residential school survivors have been sharing for decades and provides context into the severity of the genocide enacted on Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

In July 2022, Pope Francis affirmed these accounts and called the Indian Residential Schools an act of genocide.


A photo released by the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba reportedly shows a gathering at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada in 1937. The school operated from 1890 through 1978 as a place to force youth from Indigenous tribes into giving up their language and culture.
 Photo courtesy of National Center for Truth and Reconciliation/EPA-EFE

However, in the midst of uncovering the truths through these searches, we are experiencing denialism. Despite the irrefutable evidence, there are still those who deny or refuse to acknowledge the abuse and deaths of Indigenous children in residential schools.

Survivor testimonies


The Reconciliation totem pole carved by James Hart (7idansuu), Haida master carver and Hereditary Chief is purified by first nations women with cedar boughs before being erected on the Main Mall at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in 2017. The totem pole represents survivors of Canada's residential school system.
 File Photo by Heinz Ruckemann/UPIMore

Last summer, UnBQ collaborated with the University of Alberta Indigenous-led team, to conduct a Phase 1 search of the former Blue Quills Indian Residential School near St. Paul, Alberta. Our initial findings released publicly on April 19 identified 19 "reflections of interest" on 1.29 acres of land.

The term "reflections of interest" is used to describe traits that are similar in ground- penetrating radar data. The reason this term was used at UnBQ was because prior to the release of the report they had not done GPR scans of nearby cemetery sites that would give them a more clear comparison. Once that process has been completed, the terminology will likely change in the Phase 2 report.

Over the course of the year, survivors have also shared areas of interest that will need further investigating. This is only the start of the search process as UnBQ is located on 240 acres of land.

Addressing denialism

In-depth measuring of the deaths of residential school students is critical to research and communities to help provide clearer understandings of the lives of these children across Canada.

It is also a potential way to address denialists who may question whether the number of deaths is excessive.

Denialists may argue that uncovering a certain number of graves is not indicative of problematic conditions in the schools. And that data, based on counts, is subject to distortion.

For example, it could be argued that mortality occurs in all populations and that schools with large populations in operation over long periods would encounter deaths and therefore, the occurrence of a number of deaths is not problematic.

However, there are quantitative methods that can help address these issues.

A good example is the standardized mortality ratio. This ratio involves calculating the number of expected deaths in residential schools based on reported death rates in the Canadian population during the same time period among children of the same ages based on historical data.

Although we have no public data that details the full scope of mortality rates for Indigenous children in residential schools, calculations such as the standardized mortality ratio can help us fully document how many Indigenous children died.

Indigenous scholars, leaders and survivors have long known that the number of deaths of children in residential schools was substantial. Now, as new research and data is produced, we will continue to see the official numbers grow.

Compassion as we mourn

As the daughter of a residential school survivor and a relative to many who attended Blue Quills Indian Residential School, it's horrible to have to address denialism during this time of mourning and healing in our communities.

Shortly after unmarked graves were uncovered at the Kamloops residential school, my father, Joe Cardinal, from Saddle Lake Cree Nation shared with me his wish that we continue to educate people on the beauty of our culture.

My father survived so I can live and experience love. I honor his wish by learning, unlearning and educating in systems that were not made for me. Education is healing and it offers people an opportunity to understand, unlearn and relearn the truths of this country.

My father once told me:

"We are here to show the next generation what our ancestors were taught, the values of respecting one another, loving one another, helping one another. That's what we need, we need to come back to that."

The findings across this country create opportunity for healing and addressing unresolved grief. The intergenerational trauma of residential schools has interrupted and challenged our Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing.

In listening to the stories shared throughout this process, I have come to recognize that this work has created opportunities for healing in a trauma-informed and culturally appropriate way.

Indigenous communities hold the knowledge required to heal. We don't need to be researched and rescued. We need to be more compassionate with one another, as people, but also as practitioners working with Indigenous families.

The stories that Indigenous Peoples tell are sacred. The accounts residential school survivors and their families share are sacred. Those who listen to them all carry responsibilities. Once you have been told, you know. Once you know, you are responsible. We are all responsible.


If you are experiencing trauma or feeling triggered, help is available 24/7 for survivors and their families through the Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419. Mental health support is available through the Hope for Wellness chatline at 1-855-242-3310 or using the chat box at hopeforwellness.ca.

Terri Cardinal is director of Indigenous initiatives at MacEwan University.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

Through the Eyes of a 6-Year-old Child, Orange Became a Symbol of an Indigenous Movement

LEVI RICKERT AND NEELY BARDWELL
Fri, September 29, 2023 


Phyllis Webstad, a tribal citizen of the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation, is a prime example of how one person can make a difference and create an Indigenous movement across North America.


Editor’s Note: This story was published in observance of Orange Shirt Day in 2021. Native News Online is republishing it again this year.


For a listing of events commemorating Orange Shirt Day around North America, see our post here.

Webstad is the force behind the Orange Shirt Day movement that is commemorated each year on Sept. 30 to remember Indigenous people who attended Indian residential schools in Canada and Indian boarding schools in the United States.

The color orange was chosen because of something that happened to Webstad when she was only six years old. It was Sept. 30, 1973, the first day she attended St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School in British Columbia. Her grandmother had bought Webstad a brand-new shiny orange shirt to wear, adding to the young student’s first-day-of-school excitement.

Unfortunately, when Webstad got to school, the orange shirt was taken from her, and it was never given back.

“I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to me, it was mine! The color orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying, and no one cared,” Webstad said.

She never forgot the loss that turned into a hurt to her heart.

In 2013, Webstad was asked to return to St. Joseph’s as an Indian residential school survivor. She convinced other survivors to buy orange t-shirts as a way to remember those who attended the residential schools in Canada. She formed the Orange Shirt Society.

“Wearing orange shirts are a symbol of defiance against those things that undermine children’s self-esteem, and of our commitment to anti-racism and anti-bullying in general,” Webstad explains.

The Orange Shirt Society is not all about defiance though.

“Orange Shirt Day is also an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come,” Webstad said.

September 30 was chosen as the primary day of remembrance because it is around that time of the year that Indigenous children were taken from their homes and sent to residential schools. It was also chosen because “it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the coming school year,” Webstad explains.

Since 2013, the Orange Shirt Day has morphed into days of reflection throughout Canada and the United States. Orange has become a color for women jingle dress dancers.

Today’s Orange Shirt Day has a more serious tone, following the revelation in late May that the remains of 215 children were discovered in a mass grave at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Since then, thousands of other bodies have been found at residential schools throughout Canada.

“Every child matters” has become a mantra for t-shirts and rally signs.

Two years ago, for the first time, Canada celebrated Truth and Reconciliation Day on Sept. 30, 2021. But to many, Sept. 30 will always be known as Orange Shirt Day because of the difference Phyllis Webstad made in the creation of an Indigenous movement.

About the Author: "Elyse Wild is senior editor for Native News Online and Tribal Business News. "  ewild@indiancountrymedia.com

Murder Claim in Canada Is Only Helping India Leader Modi at Home

India’s opposition party Congress in a bind, backs government

Claim bolsters Modi’s strongman image within the country

A poster features Hardeep Singh Nijjar at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, on Sept. 19.
Photographer: Don Mackinnon/AFP/Getty Images

By Swati Gupta and Sudhi Ranjan Sen
September 29, 2023 at 6:00 PM MDT

As the US and its allies fret over Canada’s allegation that India orchestrated the murder of a Sikh separatist leader, the scandal is providing a political boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India has gone on the offensive since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Modi’s government of orchestrating the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a priest who advocated for an independent Sikh homeland in India, and whom India branded a terrorist in 2020. While Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar this week said India was open to looking at specific evidence, he blamed Canada for not taking action against extremists.

Within India, that stance has made Modi a clear winner. Influential nationalist television hosts are attacking Canada and whipping up patriotism on nightly news programs. The opposition alliance, haunted by its own past, has effectively supported Modi, seeing little to gain in criticizing him. And the focus on terrorism is likely to stir up the base in his conservative Bharatiya Janata Party.

“For India’s Hindu nationalists who seek a more muscular approach in foreign policy, this incident is likely to galvanize greater support for PM Modi as being tough on terrorism,” said Ayesha Ray, who teaches political science at King’s College in Pennsylvania, and is a frequent commentator on Indian politics.

Modi remains overwhelmingly popular in India, and despite recent high inflation and persistent unemployment, he is expected to extend his decade in power in elections scheduled for the first half of 2024. India’s main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, has avoided using the Canadian allegations – and potential reputational damage – to criticize Modi.

Narendra ModiPhotographer: Prakash Singh/Bloomberg

Instead, it has supported the government, perhaps chastened by lessons from the last election in 2019. In the months before that vote, Indian soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing in the disputed northern region of Kashmir. Modi sent fighter jets across the border into neighboring Pakistan to hit alleged terror training facilities.


That move whipped up patriotic frenzy, and the Congress party came under attack after it questioned official claims that Indian bombs actually hit those terror camps inside Pakistan. Modi swept the general elections a few months later, riding on a wave of nationalist euphoria.

“Our fight against terrorism has to be uncompromising, especially when terrorism threatens India’s sovereignty, unity and integrity,” Jairam Ramesh, a senior Congress leader and spokesperson, said to reporters last week.

The Congress party has another reason to stay quiet: it’s own uneasy history with the Sikh separatist movement.

When Sikh separatism was at its zenith in the early 1980s, then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was also leader of the Congress Party, cracked down on the movement with brute force. Most notably, the army stormed Sikhism’s holiest shrine, killing hundreds, including a top separatist leader. A few months later, two of her Sikh bodyguards shot her dead, which in turn led to anti-Sikh riots.

Indian army officers at the site of the military operation at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984.
Source: The India Today Group/Getty Images

The Congress party has also supported the Modi government on other foreign policy issues that have rankled the West, most notably in avoiding condemnation of Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

India has emerged as a key swing state since Russia’s invasion, and its foreign policy is dominated by a determination to be seen as an independent player on the international stage. It has continued to buy oil and weapons from Russia, even as the US and its allies court Modi’s government as a key democratic Asian counterweight to an increasingly authoritarian China.

The scandal over Nijjar’s killing will help burnish Modi’s image as a force on the world stage who isn’t beholden to any country, according to Harsh Pant, author of a book on India’s foreign policy and an international relations professor at Kings College, London.

“It adds to that narrative of Mr. Modi being a strong leader, a no-nonsense leader, a leader that will also push against countries that are potential allies,” Pant said, adding that he doubts India will cooperate with any international inquiry. “I don’t think India will be budging on this issue.”

 Opinion

Ramkumar: The United States in a multi-polar world

Seshadri Ramkumar
Sat, September 30, 2023




The most recent events in the wake of Canadian allegations against India on the alleged killing of a Sikh separatist and the ongoing war in Europe are tests for American diplomacy. There is no doubt nations are looking at United States for leadership in finding amicable solutions to complex diplomatic issues. America is also focusing on its strategic interests by trying to realign and establish partnerships.

On Sept. 18, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dropped a bombshell allegation against India in the alleged killing of a Sikh separatist in Canada. This briefing in the Canadian House of Commons occurred right after Trudeau returned to Ottawa from India after the G20 summit. The meeting apparently did not go well for Trudeau as there were ongoing tensions between the two countries about the Khalistan movement in Canada. Although the reasons behind going public without disclosing the evidence and the timing of such an announcement by the Canadian Prime Minister are not well understood, certainly it has created a diplomatic standoff between two important nations bringing global attention. This situation has put the United States in a diplomatic hotspot as it tries to be a mediator between an ally and a strategic partner.

It is common in situations of such sensitivity; discussions happen in private settings by providing compelling evidence to back up the allegations. The United States has been trying to be an effective mediator by coordinating with the Canadians to complete the investigation while encouraging India to cooperate. The government of India has stated that if Canada provided any reliable evidence, it would certainly cooperate with the investigations, which was echoed by Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India during his current visit to the United States.

Given the rising clout of India on the global stage, being the most populous nation on earth with the 5th largest economy, nations are handling the situation carefully so tensions do not escalate. That is the reason there has not been a public condemnation of India by the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, who are expecting that the investigations in Canada would produce result that can be shared. The muted response by leading nations for Canada’s allegation is a clear diplomatic strategy, while encouraging proper investigation to provide results.

The United States understands the importance of India, all the way acknowledging the long-standing support of Canada by being an ally and one of its largest trading partners. In the past 20 years the friendship between the United States and India has been on an upward trajectory, which is valued by the two nations and other freedom-loving countries due to the enormous possibilities in the global security, economy, and political arenas. Amidst the ongoing diplomatic spat between India and Canada, the United Kingdom has not halted the trade talks with India and is expected to reach an agreement soon.

The relationship between the United States and India is getting strengthened with many high-level visits and talks as is evident by the first state visit of Prime Minister Modi to the United States in June. This visit resulted in bilateral collaborations in science and technology and strengthening the semiconductor supply chain between the two nations and increasing investments in chip manufacturing and research in India by U.S. companies. Likewise, President Biden visited India for the recent G20 summit in New Delhi which had high level absentees such as President Xi of China and President Putin of Russia. This event was a witness to the rising clout and global aspirations of India, and its interest to engage with the global north to create win-win strategic partnerships. India and the United States view China as a competitor and challenge, and hence joining forces in technology, defense and global security arenas will weaken China and would benefit the world.

“There is today, you have a very compelling need for India and United States to work together,” said Dr. S. Jaishankar while touring United States recently for the United Nations’ general assembly. When pressed about the areas of cooperation, he answered that there are opportunities for partnerships in technology, defense and security, and geopolitics. The two nations have ongoing collaboration in initiatives such as India-U.S. Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology, given the importance of AI, cyber security, and information sharing.

The United States values India as a strategic partner and a friend to counter the influence of China in the Indian Ocean region as a way of bridging the divide between North and South and engaging the West with the East. This strategic partnership may prove valuable in countering China’ s political growth in Africa and the Indo-Pacific zone and strengthen the supply chain in security tools and products of critical needs.

In a joint statement issued during the G20 summit, President Biden and Indian Prime Minister Modi called on their respective governments to strengthen strategic partnerships, emphasizing the importance of freedom, democracy, pluralism, and equal opportunities for all citizens.

India aspires to be a developed nation in the next 25 years, which is focused on growth termed as “Amrit Kal,” and is wanting a seat in the UN Security Council as a permanent member. The partnership with United States will prove valuable toward achieving these goals. Given India’s global presence and strength in the IT and service sectors, and its investments in space research by becoming the first nation to land on the south pole of moon, the United States can gain a reliable partner for its global outreach, particularly in the South. Recently, the U.S. State Department has released a report on the information manipulation by China and hence having a global IT powerhouse like India will help with tackling cybercrimes and counter Chinese false propaganda.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar met Thursday to further strengthen the bilateral partnership. Certainly, there were discussions on the ongoing diplomatic spat between India and Canada and such private discussions may prove to be more productive and fruitful.

The United States is practicing right diplomacy by constantly engaging with growing global power India. Engaging in high-level discussions by the United States in closed settings and some backchannel-door diplomacy would help with easing tensions between India and Canada.

The United States’ handling of the India-Canada tensions with careful diplomacy gives confidence in the role of America in a multi-polar world. The partnership between the United State and India and engaging with common friends and allies will result in enormous possibilities for a secure world.

Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar is a professor in the department of environmental toxicology at Texas Tech University.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Ramkumar: The United States in a multi-polar world