Chiefs Help Mediate Indian-Police Clash
As thick black smoke hung in the air from burning barricades, Canadian Indian chiefs began negotiations Friday to ease tension between police and Indians after a Wednesday clash left one protester dead and two others injured.
“We will continue to work on this and work on a resolution to de-escalate this matter,” Tom Bressette, a chief of the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, said of the standoff that began when militant Indians seized the Ipperwash Provincial Park on Monday.
Police pulled back from the park, about 155 miles southwest of Toronto, early Friday after meeting with Indian leaders. Bressette said Indians manning the barricades will agree to leave non-Indian area residents alone while talks continue.
Indians claim the park is the site of an ancient burial ground.
Police say Wednesday’s violence occurred when they returned fire from Indians. The Indians denied they had fired any shots.
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