16 August 2001 Edition

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McGuinness meets Thunderhawk

While visiting Derry recently, Joe Thunderhawk met with Minister of Education Martin McGuinness. Thunderhawk is an elder with the Lakota Sioux in North-western Alberta in Canada.

Accompanied by Seamus Callan (originally from Monaghan), Thunderhawk had just arrived after delivering a protest at the UN in Geneva and after a meeting with the Dutch royal family in Holland. He is protesting at the destruction of his land and the discrimination against his people by the oil company Royal Dutch Shell.

The population of Native Americans has plummeted in Canada, in particular due to what Thunderhawk terms a ``slow genocide'' by the Canadian government and multinationals.

All the land and resources that these multinationals are creating billions from, as well as destroying, legally belongs to the Sioux, he says. However, the International treaty that the Canadian government has with the Sioux is broken continuously with discrimination, poverty and suicide rife among their nation. Thunderhawk fears that the future of his people is very bleak unless the international community puts pressure on the Canadian government and on Shell to halt the destruction of their lands and restore their human rights.

Thunderhawks' visit to Ireland was hosted by Sinn Féin and his meeting with Martin McGuinness, who has a long-standing interest in the plight of Native Americans, was very constructive. After the meeting, McGuinness said: ``We are delighted that Thunderhawk is in Derry today and we have pledged to do all in our power to highlight this disgraceful situation and use our influence to assist his campaign.''

After a tour of the city, Thunderhawk and Seamus Callan travelled to Belfast to meet with Gerry Adams.

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