Disaster Coastal Gaslink Protests in Canada - Well, that escalated quickly

A number of people calling themselves "in Solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs" have blockaded bridges, highways, roads, train tracks, and even the steps of the BC Legislature buildings in Canada:

Protesters opposing B.C. pipeline block rail line in Toronto | Globalnews.ca

The protesters say they're in support of Wet’suwet’en Nation, whose members oppose the building of a natural gas line in B.C.

globalnews.ca

Protesters opposing the building of a pipeline in British Columbia blocked a rail line in Toronto on Saturday, causing freight and passenger train delays.

The protesters, demonstrating near Bartlett Avenue and Dupont Street, said they were in support of Wet’suwet’en Nation, which has opposed the building of a natural gas line in B.C.

“This is a protest against anybody that would invade Indigenous lands on unceded territories,” protester Maya Menezes said.
“We’re here in solidarity with all the calls to action that the Wet’suwet’en have put out across the country for people to stand in solidarity with Indigenous self-determination.”

Tensions have been rising in B.C. between the Wet’suwet’en Nation and police since officers began to enforce an expanded injunction that was granted to Coastal GasLink by the B.C. Supreme Court.
Opponents have tried to block construction of the project while police have worked to enforce the injunction since early Thursday, leading to some arrests.

Wet’suwet’en Nation is an unceded territory not covered by treaty.

Saturday’s protest in Toronto began during the morning hours and occurred alongside another protest being held in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en near Belleville, Ont. that has caused the suspension of Via Rail service on a key southern Ontario route two days in a row.

In Toronto, a Canadian Pacific (CP) train was stalled a short distance away from protesters when they began blocking the tracks around 11:30 a.m.

In an email to Global News Saturday afternoon, a CP spokesperson said they were monitoring the situation.

Shortly before 6 p.m., Toronto police said protesters were leaving the tracks.

GO Transit also said service on their Barrie line between Union and Downsview was impacted as a result of the protest, although only temporarily.

Anti-pipeline demonstrations expected to disrupt speech from the throne - BC | Globalnews.ca

Protesters opposed to the Coastal GasLink pipeline project shut down two key bridges in Victoria on Monday evening.

globalnews.ca

Protesters opposed to the Coastal GasLink pipeline project shut down two key bridges in Victoria on Monday evening.

The action is one of many across B.C. and Canada Monday in support of Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and their supporters, as RCMP enforced an injunction clearing blockades on the pipeline’s route near Houston, B.C.

Victoria police said demonstrators had shut down both the Johnson Street and Bay Street bridges to vehicle traffic.

Police said they were “working to resolve this situation peacefully.”

The bridge blockades come as a group of demonstrators remain camped out on the front steps of the B.C. legislature.
That could cause problems on Tuesday, when B.C.’s NDP government is set to unveil its speech from the throne at the legislative building.

Demonstrators were observed making note of the building’s entrances and exits, though it remains unclear if they plan to try and block legislators from entering the building on Tuesday.

Sources tell Global News that security at the building is preparing to seek a court injunction removing the protest camp, however it is unlikely that would be achieved prior to the throne speech.

Now, to CHEK News' credit, who also covered these stories, they asked Victoria Police why they weren't dealing with the bridge situation. So far the Police have not commented and refused to. As of right now (around 6:43 PM) the Bay street bridge reopened as the protesters left of their own volition to join their fellows still blocking the Johnson Street Bridge. CHEK News offered to interview the bridge protesters live on TV tonight and they declined.

Some of the protesters in Vancouver were chanting "Wetsuweten stand up, RCMP stand down".
At around 6:56, the protesters left the Johnson street bridge and walked back to the Legislature.

They tried blocking the Ports and were immediately arrested. Apparently you can block bridges roads and train tracks, but NOT ports.

Metro Vancouver port blockade prompts injunction, 57 arrested Monday

The port blockades are in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en land defenders and hereditary chiefs, who are fighting to stop construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline project in northwest B.C.

vancouversun.com

Metro Vancouver port blockade prompts injunction, 57 arrested Monday


The port blockades are in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en land defenders and hereditary chiefs, who are fighting to stop construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline project in northwest B.C.

David Carrigg
Updated: February 10, 2020


Anti-pipeline protesters say they will be out in force in Metro Vancouver on Tuesday, despite 57 of their group getting arrested on Monday.

Natalie Knight, spokesperson for the “solidarity actions happening in Vancouver with the Wet’suwet’en Nation,” told Postmedia News she expected about 200 protesters to show up for Tuesday’s action at an “undisclosed location.”

Knight was speaking on Monday afternoon from a rail line blockade on Venables Street, just east of Glen Drive, that began at 3 p.m. and ended two hours later.

The port blockades were in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs who are fighting to stop construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline project in northwest B.C.

The arrests came earlier in the day after an injunction was issued Sunday against protesters who had been periodically blocking road access to partsbof the Metro Vancouver port since Friday. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority asked for the injunction so port operations could resume in Vancouver and Delta.

A Vancouver police spokesperson, Sgt. Aaron Roed, confirmed 43 people who defied the injunction and police orders to clear the area at Hastings and Clark streets were arrested on Monday morning.

“The injunction was granted to the Port on Sunday afternoon by a B.C. Supreme Court justice and protesters were made aware of it by the port on Sunday evening,” read a police statement issued by Roed. “A number of protesters refused to abide by the court order … Protesters received several requests from police to clear the intersection and then warnings prior to being detained.”

The VPD said all 43 people were released with conditions to abide by the injunction. Videos and photos from the scene show officers calmly moving handcuffed protesters one-by-one into police vehicles.

Delta police said 14 people were arrested on the Deltaport Way causeway. A statement from Delta police said they had been in communication with demonstrators since Saturday evening, when the blockade in Delta was first established.

“Police provided the protesters with a number of opportunities to leave without being arrested,” said Delta police spokeswoman Cris Leykauf. “Those who did not wish to be arrested were asked to stand to the side, where they could also witness the arrests if they chose to do so. Everyone involved was treated respectfully and with dignity.”

Knight said the blockade of the rail line on Monday afternoon did not breach the injunction because it states protesters must not block access to the port lands “by way of the Vancouver Fraser Port authority road access points.”

“It does not fall under the injunction,” she said.

“It’s been a long day. We wanted to gather people (following the arrests) and express our solidarity and indicate we are not going to stand down and wont be bullied or intimidated by the court,” she said. “At the same time we want to give people the chance to take a breath and gather again tomorrow at an undisclosed location.”

Knight said the protest group included members of climate and justice groups, anti-poverty groups, anti-capitalist groups, low-income housing groups and unions.

“There’s a pretty good cross section. It’s a pretty diverse crowd,” she said.

Demonstrators also gathered on the B.C. legislature steps in Victoria and blocked the Johnson Street and Bay Street bridges in the capital during the Monday evening rush hour

Coastal GasLink has said it has signed agreements with all 20 elected First Nations bands along the pipeline route from northeastern B.C. to LNG Canada’s $40-billion export facility on the coast in Kitimat — including Wet’suwet’en bands. But the hereditary chiefs it is they who have jurisdiction over the wider traditional lands, not the elected council that runs the smaller reserves.

The OG protest at the actual coastal gaslink site in Northern BC:

Wet’suwet’en vow to keep fighting after RCMP make arrests at pipeline blockade camp | Globalnews.ca

The protesters say those arrested are now on their way back to the camp to keep fighting the court order and protect their ancestral lands.

globalnews.ca

Wet’suwet’en vow to keep fighting after RCMP make arrests at pipeline blockade camp

By Sean Boynton Global News

Posted February 6, 2020 11:57 pm


Opponents of a natural gas pipeline in northern B.C. are vowing to keep blocking construction of the project after RCMP arrested six protesters near a key worksite early Thursday morning.

Police moved into the Wet’suwet’en members’ checkpoint camp at the 39-kilometre mark on the Morice Forest Service Road to enforce a court injunction approved for Coastal GasLink, which plans to resume construction in the area.

But the opponents say those arrested are now on their way back to the camp to keep fighting the court order and protect their ancestral lands.
“They’re on their way back, and it’s a testament to the fact that we’re not going anywhere,” said Molly Wickham, a spokesperson for the Gidimt’en clan that is part of the Wet’suwet’en Nation.

“You can arrest us, you can try to remove us from the territory, you can remove us from the territory violently, and we will always come back.”
Wickham said none of those arrested have been charged and were released without conditions after being processed at the Houston RCMP detachment.

RCMP said Thursday they had made the arrests with “a minimal amount of force.” They confirmed an officer smashed the window of a vehicle to remove a woman who had locked herself inside, but the protester was not injured.

Police had said Wednesday that the opponents would have the choice to leave peacefully or to be arrested without handcuffs before any kind of force was used.
But Wickham says the officers who moved in, who the opponents say came with firearms and dogs, did not follow their promise.

“They didn’t give anyone the opportunity to have a peaceful arrest,” she said. “They came in, overwhelmed everybody that were inside tents, sleeping at three, four, five in the morning, and arrested everybody.”


Wet’suwet’en pipeline opponents and their supporters, who describe themselves as land defenders, said police set up a new checkpoint at the four-kilometre mark and were excluding all access, including media.

Media members were later allowed back into the camp at the 29-kilometre camp later Thursday, along with other Wet’suwet’en members.

But the exclusion zone is still being enforced, with RCMP screening anyone looking to access the area. The checkpoint is the subject of multiple legal challenges by the BC Civil Liberties Association.

Wickham says she anticipates more arrests in the coming days as construction resumes in the area, which includes the Unistot’en healing centre at the 44-kilometre mark.

But she says those remaining in the exclusion zone are ready for what comes next.

“People are not afraid of what’s coming, because they can’t get rid of us, ever,” she said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of other than going to jail.”

Coastal GasLink has confirmed work is starting to clear the service road of any obstructions, including a number of trees that opponents allegedly felled across the road to impede access to the area.

Heavy machinery was brought into the territory behind the RCMP units enforcing the injunction, which was issued by B.C. Supreme Court on Dec. 31.

Enforcement of the injunction was held to allow dialogue between the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs, Coastal GasLink, RCMP and the B.C. government in hopes of dissolving the dispute.

A planned week of talks between the province and the chiefs broke off Tuesday after two days of discussions, with the Wet’suwet’en saying no deal could be reached unless the province pulled its permits for the project.

The $6.6-billion, 670-kilometre pipeline is intended to carry gas from northeastern B.C. to a massive LNG export plant being built near Kitimat, and would traverse unceded Wet’suwet’en traditional territory.
The company has signed agreements with all 20 elected Indigenous councils along the route.
But opponents argue that those councils only have authority over on-reserve matters, as artifacts of the colonial system under the Indian Act.

The Supreme Court of Canada has affirmed Indigenous rights and title over unceded land, territory that Wet’suwet’en opponents say only hereditary chiefs have authority over.

On Thursday, the Office of the Wet’suwet’en Nation also announced plans to challenge the Coastal GasLink project’s environmental assessment certificate in court, arguing the company was in violation of its conditions and had failed to incorporate the findings of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

—With files from Sarah MacDonald

Blockaders vs Anti-Blockaders: Guess who gets arrested:

1 arrested as residents tear down anti-pipeline blockade on Vancouver Island | Globalnews.ca

At one point, someone drove a pickup truck through plywood barriers blocking Highway 19.

globalnews.ca

Spoiler: No, really, guess.

At least one person was arrested as pipeline opponents and angry citizens met in a chaotic scene on a Vancouver Island highway, Monday.

Demonstrators opposed to the Coastal GasLink pipeline erected barriers at Exit 117 of Highway 19 near Courtenay in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs around 12:30 a.m.
But the group was met by another group of residents, several wearing masks, who repeatedly pulled the barricades down as police attempted to keep the groups apart.

At one point, someone drove a pickup truck through plywood barriers blocking the road.

Police eventually arrested one of the masked residents for obstruction after he attempted to pull down a barricade that anti-pipeline protesters had erected.
“He’s removing garbage!” yelled one of the man’s supporters as he tried to pull blockade materials from the highway off-ramp.

“He’s removing garbage!” yelled one of the man’s supporters as he tried to pull blockade materials from the highway off-ramp.
“My sacred items are not garbage, my sacred items are special,” one of the protesters yelled back.
Police have yet to comment on the blockade, but an officer at the scene told the group of residents RCMP couldn’t clear the protesters’ blockade without direction from their supervisors.

“We pay taxes to use these highways, that’s our right,” one woman responded to police.

“If we came out and blocked the highway you’d arrest us,” added another member of the group. “They’re going to be allowed to just start blocking everything up right across this friggin’ country?”
Deraek Menard, one of the anti-pipeline protesters, told Global News the blockade was meant to send a message of support to Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and their supporters, who were facing possible arrest as the RCMP enforced a B.C. Supreme Court injunction near Houston, B.C.

“They are peaceful land defenders exerting their rights to have their sovereign territory and not be invaded by another nation,” he said.

“And when we see the RCMP using force from our nation to violate their rights like that, it’s pretty clear that people can get upset about this.”
The action appeared to have the opposite effect on at least one motorist who said he generally supported the protesters’ message.

“I can’t see how this protest is helping [fight] the pipeline, it’s inconvenienced me, I’m headed to Nanaimo, I’ve been driving 45 minutes through the backcountry trying to find the freeway,” said Ray Martin.
“They should be protesting the company or something, not inconveniencing the public.”

There are links to other stories about blockades across Canada in the stories themselves.

 

[WinchesterPremium]

Police eventually arrested one of the masked residents for obstruction after he attempted to pull down a barricade that anti-pipeline protesters had erected.
“He’s removing garbage!” yelled one of the man’s supporters as he tried to pull blockade materials from the highway off-ramp

Wait, they arrested him for *removing* the obstruction? You got protest breakings backwards Canada!

 

[Tootsie Bear]

Wait, they arrested him for *removing* the obstruction? You got protest breakings backwards Canada!

Talk about mob rules.

 

[Disheveled Human]

This shit happens all the time, what the usual protocol is, is to wait out the protesters until they lose interest on the matter, forget about it and go back to drinking shampoo on their reservations. Then the construction continues.

 

[ThinkThankThunk]

I see it's pipeline protest season again. We should really start spending money on actually building the pipelines in our country instead of paying Chief Embezzling Crow or whoever the fuck to protest them. I guarantee that if the federal government started cracking down on the absurd amount of corporate and foreign donations these hippie and chug groups get to stonewall oil refining and development we'd see these protests go extinct in a second. Maybe then we wouldn't have to spend a whole month of every year stretching our police forces thinner than a wafer.

 

[Koby_Fish]

Wait, they arrested him for *removing* the obstruction? You got protest breakings backwards Canada!

Well, the police don't take kindly to people trying to do their job for them even if they're not doing their job, because their supervisors didn't tell them to take down the barricade. The police in general and the RCMP in particular don't like "Vigilantism". And I guess all you have to do is call a piece of wooden crate/pallet a "sacred object" and it's untouchable.

Apparently the "Office of the Wet'suwet'en" website aren't an actual Indian Band. It's a corporate entity funded by Tides Canada and a bunch of other usual suspects, including foreign funding. Nobody knows or can tell whether these people who call themselves "Hereditary Chiefs" are who or what they say they are, or that they even have proof of ancestry necessary for that. All that is known is that the Indians on reserve that support the Coastal Gaslink pipeline project (and have signed agreements with the Government and the company) have NO idea who these people are. And that should tell you something.

 

[Grapefruit Soda]

I don't get why these massive faggots keep doing things like this, it doesn't drum up support for your cause, it pisses people off across the world. I want the pipeline built more now just to spite these broke assholes.

 

[Sped Xing]

Instead of a pipeline, we want trucks, because explosions are exciting.

 

[Koby_Fish]

I don't get why these massive faggots keep doing things like this, it doesn't drum up support for your cause, it pisses people off across the world. I want the pipeline built more now just to spite these broke assholes.

They keep doing it because it keeps working (at least in BC). The Clayquot/Carmanah "war in the woods" of the 1990s resulted in the NDP government of the day protecting vast swaths of forest. Protesting nuclear weapons in the 1970s resulted in Canada rejecting a lot of nuclear based things (like submarines powered by nuclear reactors, or nuclear weapons in general), and even limited the nuclear power plants (most of which are in Eastern Canada particularly Ontario). Besides that, they point to the protests of the Civil Rights era in USA, and pretend that protesters behaved as exceptionally then as they are wont to now. "Hurr durr, protests brought Civil Rights even though it pissed people off" is what they'd likely tell people. But these days, it's most likely to redpill the normies, because a large number of people in Vancouver and Victoria and on the Island actually support the protesters' cause to stop the gas pipeline.

But the difference here is, the War in the Woods protests didn't block streets, only the woods (and thus mainly annoying loggers and log truck drivers). Nuke protests didn't block roads; they stood alongside/beside the highway, not on it.

Last I heard, MLK didn't make widowmakers along the streets. (Those are trees that are cut in a way as to be easily felled in order to block or hurt someone - there are tons of them up in the actual coastal gaslink blockade up by Houston BC).

 

[ThinkThankThunk]

Instead of a pipeline, we want trucks, because explosions are exciting.

The ironic thing is that literally nobody in the country doesn't want these pipelines. There is no "we" that wants to keep freighting our oil. More oil means more work and more work means more money. - something that the provinces., native reserves and the federal government all need dearly. The problem is that we sold so much of our resources to the U.S. and China that the feds can't intervene in pipeline construction without our remaining industry getting assfucked by tariffs and WTO suits, like what happened when we tried increasing lumber exports in the 90's. That leaves it up to Alberta and the terminally exceptional B.C. and Quebec governments to negotiate with what amount to bottomless pits of foreign money to get anything done.

Maybe if the government hadn't signed away our uranium reserves to Iran and the plant development rights to the chugs we'd be able to build some more nuclear plants to get away from oil. I'm sure that windfarm down in the Alberta badlands will carry the weight of our energy needs though; a few million more concrete towers and we might be able to charge a phone with it one day.

 

[Goofy Logic]

They are probably mad because the federal government bulldozed the trans-mountian pipeline through and the BC government is admitting defeat on it.

It's also interesting that it's the "Hereditary chiefs" that are against the Houston pipeline. The Wetsuweten Council and even a lot of the tribe was signed on, looking forward to the work that was upcoming.

My guess is Justy Boi is either going to have to send the natives another dump truck load of money, or send some back-channel threats to shut them up.

 

[Koby_Fish]

The ironic thing is that literally nobody in the country doesn't want these pipelines. There is no "we" that wants to keep freighting our oil. More oil means more work and more work means more money. - something that the provinces., native reserves and the federal government all need dearly. The problem is that we sold so much of our resources to the U.S. and China that the feds can't intervene in pipeline construction without our remaining industry getting assfucked by tariffs and WTO suits, like what happened when we tried increasing lumber exports in the 90's. That leaves it up to Alberta and the terminally exceptional B.C. and Quebec governments to negotiate with what amount to bottomless pits of foreign money to get anything done.

Maybe if the government hadn't signed away our uranium reserves to Iran and the plant development rights to the chugs we'd be able to build some more nuclear plants to get away from oil. I'm sure that windfarm down in the Alberta badlands will carry the weight of our energy needs though; a few million more concrete towers and we might be able to charge a phone with it one day.

Out of curiosity what (general) area are you from? I thought "chugs" was an exclusively Vancouver Island (or maybe BC) term for Natives.

 

[ThinkThankThunk]

Out of curiosity what (general) area are you from? I thought "chugs" was an exclusively Vancouver Island (or maybe BC) term for Natives.

Alberta, but I picked it up from some guys from the east coast - I've never heard it out west so I assumed it was a Newfie term or a thing they made up. You're the first person I've ever seen recognize the word; feel honored.

 

[Koby_Fish]

Alberta, but I picked it up from some guys from the east coast - I've never heard it out west so I assumed it was a Newfie term or a thing they made up. You're the first person I've ever seen recognize the word; feel honored.

I've heard it on Vancouver Island since forever, so it's more widespread than I thought, I guess. It stems from the stereotype of the "Drunken Indian", and one city here on the Island is called "Drunken" (in addition to its actual name) for a reason, it ain't just the loggers and pulp mill guys going to the local watering holes. TBH I'm probably more surprised someone from outside this specific area knows the term. It's not a term I've heard used outside this area before.

@Goofy Logic The "Hereditary Chiefs" have nothing to do with the actual Indian Band of the same name. The "Wetsuweten Hereditary Chiefs" organization is a company with a website. You'd think if they were actual band members, the Band Councils would be all like 'Oh that's Jack Charlie (fake name for illustration), he didn't want the pipeline and he's an Elder and got mad that we wanted it, and he got together a bunch of his friends'. But nope, they literally do not know who these people are. Under the auspices of being "Hereditary Chiefs who are upholding (alleged Native traditional) Laws", they claim they have the final and definitive say over whether a pipeline goes through "their" territory (which is much bigger than an actual Reserve and covers Crown Land). A lot of Native kids who went to University got suckered into taking "Native Studies" which is just postmodernist claptrap in the vein of "African-American Studies" or "Women's Studies" or "Gender Studies". The marxist/communistic bent to these courses appeals to a traditionally collectivist culture, and the postmodernism is for blaming every problem on "Colonialism". I assume there's also older Natives who got roped into Communism back in the 60s and 70s and who are "Elder-old" now and just as radical now as they were then.

 

[Niggernerd]

Wet'suwet'en
I'm pretty sure the first Canadian that ran into these natives saw they were wet while in such a frigid environment and asked what happened then they said "Wet, s-s-s-so wet en cold"
And assumed they didnt understand him and thought they told him their tribes name.

 

[Sped Xing]

Imagine intentionally moving to Canada when you could move to Bermuda.

White people SMH

 

[Stoneheart]

You wanna stop shit like this? Settle a couple of thousand "refugees" on every Reservation.

 

[Dracula's Spirit Animal]

The fact that they got shut down at the ports makes me laugh.

I remember a few years go (2005? fucked if I know) when some native group blockaded the train between Toronto and Montreal. Caught the organizer on CBC being interviewed, and he said "The only way to get white men to listen is to get between him and his money or to pick up a gun." I guess he didn't study the last three hundred years of his history, because native people haven't done very well when white men "listen" to them.

 

[Super-Chevy454]

Apparently the "Wet'suwet'en" aren't an actual Indian Band. It's a corporate entity funded by Tides Canada and a bunch of other usual suspects, including foreign funding.

That's why that protest smell the Soros.

 

[Goofy Logic]

Police clear barricades
Prince George Citizen - Feb 11, 2020 / 1:39 pm | Story: 276836

Photo: Contributed
The Unist'ot'en blockade at Morice River Bridge is seen in this undated, unconfirmed handout photo.
The RCMP has finished removing the blockade on Morice West Forest Service Road, southwest of Houston, B.C.
Starting on Thursday, the RCMP began enforcing a B.C. Supreme Court injunction against people interfering with construction of the 670-kilometre Coastal GasLink pipeline in the area. The $6.6 billion natural gas pipeline will feed the $40 billion liquefied natural gas export terminal under construction by LNG Canada in Kitimat.
On Jan. 3, a group of eight of 13 Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and members of the Unist'ot'en camp issued an "eviction notice" to workers at camp 9A and the surrounding area. All five elected band councils of the Wet’suwet’en support the project and have signed benefits agreements worth more than $300 million.
On Thursday, the RCMP arrested four people in the area, followed by six on Friday and 11 on Saturday. Another seven people were arrested Monday morning, when police reached the final barricade on the Morice River Bridge at the 66-km mark of the forest service road, a police statement said.
"For approximately two hours, attempts were made to have the barricade gate opened by those who placed it there, and the court-ordered injunction was read to the individuals who were present at the scene on the other side of the bridge past the barricade," the RCMP statement said. "Coastal GasLink employees were able to remove the barricade gate from the Morice River Bridge, allowing vehicles and foot traffic across the bridge."
Once the barricade was removed, officers gave the people on the other side the opportunity to leave voluntarily or be arrested for breaching the court injunction, the RCMP statement said.
"A total of seven individuals were arrested for breaching the court-ordered injunction," the statement said. "No use of force was used, and no injuries resulted from the arrests. Once CGL has confirmed the road and infrastructure are deemed safe and ready for full access, the temporary exclusion zone and access control point that the RCMP has put in place on the Morice West Forest Service Road will be removed."
Twenty of the 21 people arrested over the weekend were released without charge, on condition they abide by the court injunction. One person arrested Saturday was released after agreeing to a future court date.
The RCMP will continue to monitor the area to ensure new blockades aren't put up, the statement added.
"I am very satisfied that this operation was conducted safely and there were no injuries sustained by anyone," RCMP senior commander Chief Superintendent David Attfield said in a press release.
Wet'suwet'en hereditary Chief Na'moks, who also goes by John Ridsdale, did not return calls to The Citizen.
However a statement published on the Unist'ot'en website on Monday said the group plans to continue to fight. The statement said Freda Huson (Chief Howihkat), Brenda Michell (Chief Geltiy), Dr. Karla Tait, Victoria Redsun, Autumn Walken and Pocholo Alen Conception were arrested.
"Unist’ot’en condemns these violent, colonial arrests and stark violations of Wet’suwet’en law, Canadian law, and of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)," the statement said. "We have the strength of our ancestors within us. We have the solidarity of our Indigenous relatives and allies with us. We have the power of people shutting down railways, highways, ports, and government offices all around this country.... This is not over."
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Coastal GasLink said the company still hopes to find a long-term solution.
"We are extremely disappointed enforcement was required to re-open the Morice (West) River Forest Service Road but will redouble efforts to engage with the Hereditary Chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en and with the Unist’ot’en in search of a peaceful, long term resolution that benefits the Wet’suwet’en people," the company statement said. "Coastal GasLink recognizes the benefits the Healing Center provides to members of the Wet’suwet’en community and will continue to support its operation by doing all we can to ensure the safety of those staying at the Center."
The company says it will continue to honour terms of the access agreement the company and Wet'suwet'en chiefs had previously negotiated, including limiting speed around the healing centre, and providing advance notice before workers cross the bridge.
"This week will see the recommencement of construction activities in Wet’suwet’en territory and the return to work of many members of the Wet’suwet’en community," the company statement said. "Members of the Wet’suwet’en community will be heavily involved in the upcoming Spring and Summer construction programs and the coming years as the project advances."
The B.C. Civil Liberties Association and Union of BC Indian Chiefs have filed a complaint to the Chairperson of the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission regarding the large exclusion zone created by the RCMP during the course of the arrests.
Civil liberties association executive director Harsha Walia said the RCMP exceeded the authority given to them by the B.C. Supreme Court injunction and enforcement order.
"The exclusion zone is outside the bounds of the injunction," Walia said. "This is unprecedented in terms of legal precedent. It's the RCMP giving themselves these policing powers."
The discovery that a bridge was tampered with, spikes and logs were laid in the road, etc. doesn't justify shutting down 60 kilometres of road and restricting people's basic right to travel, she said.
"This is not something we would accept in our cities," Walia said.

more sour grapes as the police calmly and carefully take down barracades.