Pipeline protests: Fire lit at B.C. legislature, metal spikes damage RCMP vehicles
Credit to Author: The Canadian Press| Date: Sat, 08 Feb 2020 20:13:22 +0000
VICTORIA — A ceremonial fire is burning on the front steps of the B.C legislature as supporters of Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs join protests across Canada to halt a natural gas pipeline project in the province’s northwest.
A spokesman for the group says the fire is contained within a steel fire pit on the front steps of the building where dozens of people wrapped in blankets and sleeping bags spent the night outdoors.
Kolin Sutherland-Wilson says the presence of a large pile of chopped firewood and a sleeping area near the legislature’s ceremonial entrance indicates people could be planning an extended stay.
These picture supplied by RCMP show damage caused to police vehicles by metal spikes at the protest site where people are opposing a natural gas pipeline in the territory of the Wet’suwet’en nation.
Meanwhile near Smithers, RCMP say several of their vehicles were damaged by metal spikes at the protest site where people are opposing a natural gas pipeline in the territory of the Wet’suwet’en nation.
Mounties say the vehicles were damaged when they entered a court-ordered exclusion zone for protesters on Friday night.
Police have been trying to clear protesters from the exclusion zone after an injunction was ordered by the B.C. Supreme Court.
A map showing the route of the Coastal GasLink project taken from a Dec. 16, 2019 project update issued by Coastal GasLink Pipeline Project and TC Energy.
Four people were arrested by RCMP on Friday as demonstrators continued to access the site and organize blockades.
Mounties said the blockades disrupted the transfer of arrested people to a nearby police detachment and the exit of vehicles working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
As a result of the vehicle damage, RCMP said the access control point would be temporarily moved to the 4 km mark of the Morice West Forest Service Road “to ensure the safety for those travelling, and to limit the actions of those who would place such items ….”
Hereditary Chiefs, industry and media will continue to have access to the 27 km mark of the road.
Enforcement began earlier this week after the provincial government and hereditary chiefs of the First Nation failed to reach an agreement in talks intended to de-escalate the dispute.
Coastal GasLink president David Pfeiffer has said the company has support from all 20 elected Indigenous governments along the pipeline path and would move forward with its construction schedule.
Amnesty International says in a statement it was deeply concerned about reports Friday that RCMP officers threatened to arrest journalists for taking photographs and document police activity in the territory.
“These journalists had every right to be there, documenting the events in Wet’suwet’en territory without threat of arrest. In fact, at times of heightened tensions, concerns about human rights violations and the use of police force, the role of the media is essential,” says Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada.
Protesters in cities across the country have come out against the pipeline, including in Ontario where protesters have stopped railway traffic east of Toronto.
CLICK HERE to report a typo.
Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com