TORONTO - A Mohawk activist at the heart of a blockade that forced the closure of a major Ontario highway and rail line last year says he was shocked at the actions of provincial police.
Shawn Brant says he was dismayed to learn police tapped the phone of his brother, Greg, a prominent lawyer.
Brant says his brother was never involved in any of the land-claim protests that coincided with a national day of aboriginal protest last year.
Shawn says his brother's approach to resolving land claims has been at the negotiating table, not on the streets.
Evidence at pre-trial hearings for Brant revealed that Ontario Provincial Police used emergency wiretaps to eavesdrop on four people -- Brant, his brother and two friends.
Of those, only Brant himself has been charged.
Use of emergency wiretaps negated the need for court approval, something Brant believes never would have been granted in his brother's case.
In a recording made public last week, O-P-P Commissioner Julian Fantino threatened Brant if the Mohawk blockade didn't come down.
