"Residents Outraged by Attack"

OKA, Que. (CP) - Residents of this town are outraged that their sleepy community has become a battleground between Mohawks and Quebec provincial police over an extension to a golf course.

"I've spent my life here in Oka living peacefully with the Mohawks," said Monique Giroux, a petite 24-year-old.

"We never had a problem here before but after this stupid attack, asked for by Mayor (Jean) Ouellette, our relations will never be the same. Oullette has destroyed our lives here."

One man standing in the street shouted: "All this insanity for nine more holes of golf."

When the 3,000 residents woke up on Wednesday morning, they thought life was reasonably normal.

A group of Mohawks was still sitting behind the barricade they built three months ago, half a kilometre northwest of the town, to protect land they claim is theirs and the town has slated for a bigger golf course.

But just after 5:30 a.m. police moved in. Shots were heard shortly after and tear gas was launched by police. At 9 a.m. the police attacked the barricade and hundreds of rounds were fired from both sides.

The residents of Oka, about 30 kilometres west of Montreal, watched the 100-member police assault force come rushing back down toward the town in retreat, as the wind carried tear gas back to the police ranks.

Hundreds of worried residents who had rushed from their homes stood and watched the Mohawks build another barricade - this one fashioned from abandoned police vehicles - on a hill just a hundred metres north of their town.

Roger Van den Hende, 80, has lived in Oka for more than 20 years and is married to a Mohawk woman. He was outraged over the actions of the police and the town politicians.