TORONTO - A group of Toronto-area activists are throwing their support behind a controversial aboriginal protester jailed for blocking a major railway in June.
The newly created Tyendinaga Support Committee is calling for the release of Shawn Brant, 43, who was denied bail earlier this month for breaching the conditions of his release when he took part in an aboriginal day of action protest.
Committee member Stefani Gude says the group has already collected some 300 signatures on a petition aimed at getting the criminal charges against Brant stayed and drawing attention to the injustices facing First Nations communities.
The group is also hosting a public meeting Wednesday featuring Brant's wife, Sue Collis, who will discuss the Mohawk struggle in Tyendinaga.
The protest leader, who'd been released on bail twice before, is facing charges of mischief and breach of bail conditions.
Brant, who had been occupying a quarry on disputed land near Deseronto, twice closed down a nearby CN Rail lines in protest, snarling traffic on one of Ontario's busiest highways for hours.
