“Fake Vegans”: Indigenous Solidarity and Animal Liberation Activism

Abstract

The Haudenosaunee Wildlife and Habitat Authority has negotiated with Parks Canada to determine safe areas for indigenous hunters to exercise their Treaty rights in Ontario. One of these areas is Short Hills Provincial Park. Every year, a group of protestors block the park in an attempt to prevent hunters from legally exercising their rights. The protestors are a combination of property owners who have a "not in my backyard" mentality, and animal activists who object to the deer harvest. In response to the protests, supporters of the hunters have taken a stance of solidarity at the park entrance to try to disrupt the protests. The supporters consist of indigenous peoples and settler allies, members of CPT-IPS, Christian Peacemaker Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Team, and members of HALT, Hamilton Animal Liberation Team. This paper focuses on deconstructing the experiences of settler animal liberation activists demonstrating in solidarity with indigenous hunters.