Bad River Chairman Rejects Tactics Used By Protesters In Video

The chairman of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe says he’s against the tactics used by other anti-mine protesters in a June 11 action.

A video posted on Facebook two days ago (and which has since been taken down) shows the violent raid on an exploratory drilling site June 11, the day Gogebic Taconite (GTAC) began drilling the first of eight bore holes. The video was apparently taken by one of the 15 masked people confronting drill workers. One person from the raid has been charged with four criminal counts of theft and damage to property.

Bad River Tribal Chairman Mike Wiggins says the video is not what they’re about. Their strategy is non-violent opposition. But Wiggins thinks this entire week has traumatized the region, beginning with GTAC bringing in an unlicensed security force brandishing assault rifles.

“The semi-automatic assault weapons … was a public relations ploy to try and label the good people of Wisconsin and the others who are peacefully resisting as violent people,” says Wiggins. “It’s a shame, it’s really a shame and no one’s buying it.”

A GTAC spokesman told Wisconsin Public Television that the June 11 raid on their drilling site proves they need to protect themselves against “people this unstable.”