TORONTO (AP) — Video footage depicting Department of Fisheries and Oceans officers striking native lobster fishermen with batons and fists last summer is being distributed around the world as Mi’kmaq natives try to gain public sympathy in the East Coast fishing dispute.
The film, entitled “Who Will Sing for Us?”, includes an edited version of footage shot by fisheries officers during a dispute last July 26 between the department and members of the Indian Brook band at St. Mary’s Bay, Nova Scotia.
But “Who Will Sing For Us?” does not show the actions of the native fishermen directly before the clash.
Edited out of the film are scenes showing the native fishermen angrily raising pieces of wood and poles to fend off fisheries officers announcing they intend to board their boat.
The video has now been shown in countries including the Netherlands, England, and the United States and on the Internet, where it received more than 1,400 hits within the first 24 hours of being posted.
Hundreds of people who have viewed the video worldwide have signed a petition decrying the incident. The petition is now being forwarded to Amnesty International.
