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.

 

[CharlesBarkley]

Frankly this whole situation is just another symptom of a bigger problem, and that problem is lack of responsibility on the part of the native tribes themselves. The keep demanding recognition, autonomy and huge amounts of money. and when they get it they squander it, leading to reservations that are horrific places to live.

Should just break the final treaties and force socialization. Bulldoze the reservations and just do a federal payout to individuals to start life elsewhere.

It's not a like reservation has a culture connection anymore considering all the land is treated like shit and tribal courts are a joke.

 

[Koby_Fish]

Well, looks like these hereditary chiefs have some skeletons in their closets.
https://www.jlsreport.com/2020/02/16/wolves-in-fancy-blankets/ ( http://archive.ph/JKzz8 )

There was a very interesting and informative letter in the Victoria Times-Communist today

Letters Feb. 26: Shutting down Canada, too much effort for speculation tax

Who speaks for the Wet’suwet’un people? Five people. That is all that it took to shut down Canada’s railroads and cripple our economy. Five people who claim their traditions are being violated . . .

www.timescolonist.com

Who speaks for the Wet’suwet’un people?

Five people. That is all that it took to shut down Canada’s railroads and cripple our economy.

Five people who claim their traditions are being violated by having a natural gas pipeline cross their land. And many others are buying into it, taking part in protests they really know nothing about.

Our country is being held hostage, but it is not about traditions. It is really about an internal power struggle within the Wet’suwet’un community. It is a dispute over who speaks for the Wet’suwet’un.

Several of your readers have assumed that the hereditary chiefs get their title by birthright. That is not how it works.

They are chosen to be a hereditary chief and to carry a chief’s name. These five people stripped three women of their names and took them for themselves. This is not Wet’suwet’un tradition.

Coincidentally, the three woman hereditary chiefs were all in favour of the pipeline being built through the traditional lands. You need to remember that the Wet’suwet’un is a matriarchal society where land and title come from the mother’s clan.

Matriarchs are highly respected and what was done by these five people was highly disrespectful and violated Wet’suwet’un tradition.

In the Wet’suwet’un culture, disputes are solved at a feast. I suggest that these illegal hereditary chiefs sort this out in the Feast Hall and not in front of the media (which is really feeding their power trip).

It is these five people who are really the ones violating Wet’suwet’un traditions.

Suzanne Anderson
Duncan

OH OH OH OH! So it's NOT "by birthright" that these Hereditary Chiefs exist, after all? Kind of makes sense to me now, since there's precedent in the Haida First Nation where two Hereditary Chiefs who supported the Enbridge Pipeline in Northern BC (which the Government cancelled) were stripped of their titles by their own people for "going rogue" on it. (The pipeline didn't go through Haida Territory, but the bands were all worried about an oil tanker spilling and killing all the salmon in the ocean or whatever). So, the plot thickens. I noticed that several of the "fake" Hereditary Chiefs were male, so that's suspicious.

 

[Jarolleon]

Well, looks like these hereditary chiefs have some skeletons in their closets.
https://www.jlsreport.com/2020/02/16/wolves-in-fancy-blankets/ ( http://archive.ph/JKzz8 )

There was a very interesting and informative letter in the Victoria Times-Communist today

Letters Feb. 26: Shutting down Canada, too much effort for speculation tax

Who speaks for the Wet’suwet’un people? Five people. That is all that it took to shut down Canada’s railroads and cripple our economy. Five people who claim their traditions are being violated . . .

www.timescolonist.com

Who speaks for the Wet’suwet’un people?

Five people. That is all that it took to shut down Canada’s railroads and cripple our economy.

Five people who claim their traditions are being violated by having a natural gas pipeline cross their land. And many others are buying into it, taking part in protests they really know nothing about.

Our country is being held hostage, but it is not about traditions. It is really about an internal power struggle within the Wet’suwet’un community. It is a dispute over who speaks for the Wet’suwet’un.

Several of your readers have assumed that the hereditary chiefs get their title by birthright. That is not how it works.

They are chosen to be a hereditary chief and to carry a chief’s name. These five people stripped three women of their names and took them for themselves. This is not Wet’suwet’un tradition.

Coincidentally, the three woman hereditary chiefs were all in favour of the pipeline being built through the traditional lands. You need to remember that the Wet’suwet’un is a matriarchal society where land and title come from the mother’s clan.

Matriarchs are highly respected and what was done by these five people was highly disrespectful and violated Wet’suwet’un tradition.

In the Wet’suwet’un culture, disputes are solved at a feast. I suggest that these illegal hereditary chiefs sort this out in the Feast Hall and not in front of the media (which is really feeding their power trip).

It is these five people who are really the ones violating Wet’suwet’un traditions.

Suzanne Anderson
Duncan

OH OH OH OH! So it's NOT "by birthright" that these Hereditary Chiefs exist, after all? Kind of makes sense to me now, since there's precedent in the Haida First Nation where two Hereditary Chiefs supported the Enbridge Pipeline in Northern BC (which the Government cancelled) were stripped of their titles by their own people for "going rogue" on it. (The pipeline didn't go through Haida Territory, but the bands were all worried about an oil tanker spilling and killing all the salmon in the ocean or whatever). So, the plot thickens. I noticed that several of the "fake" Hereditary Chiefs were male, so that's suspicious.

How the hell does that work? Are the matriarchs in a coma or something, or did these guys run gay ops to get the titles transferred to them?

 

[WinchesterPremium]

Several of your readers have assumed that the hereditary chiefs get their title by birthright. That is not how it works.

They are chosen to be a hereditary chief and to carry a chief’s name. These five people stripped three women of their names and took them for themselves. This is not Wet’suwet’un tradition.

Commies don't know what "hereditary" means? And apparently think voting against women is disrespectful?

Suzanne Anderson sounds like someone who is definitely a member of that tribe and and expert on their culture.

 

[Koby_Fish]

How the hell does that work? Are the matriarchs in a coma or something, or did these guys run gay ops to get the titles transferred to them?

I'm thinking gay ops all the way. They're claiming something that apparently they have no actual right to; and considering some of them are MEN, yeah, it's going to look funny in the context of a matriarchy.

Idiot professional Protesters have no clue one way or the other; they're just accepting the word of these "hereditary chiefs" without question. They claim they're operating on the basis of "Wet'suwet'en Law" but strangely none of them ever bothered to articulate just what specifically this law is or entails. And it actually banks on the public being absolutely ignorant of Wet'suwet'en tradition, law, everything, because the Identity Politics-conscious among the public will squawk about how dare people question these Stunning And Brave Land And Water Defenders. Of course you're not allowed to question Native Law! Or that's how it appears.

Commies don't know what "hereditary" means? And apparently think voting against women is disrespectful?

Suzanne Anderson sounds like someone who is definitely a member of that tribe and and expert on their culture.

I don't actually know the person or anything, but there are First Nations in that area with the last name Anderson.

 

[RA-5C Vigilante]

Imagine choosing of all the Indian names possible to call your tribe fucking Wet’suwet’un

 

[bippu_as_fuck_ls400]

Indigenous protests escalate after Canada rail blockades cleared
https://news.yahoo.com/indigenous-protests-escalate-canada-rail-blockades-cleared-221654575.html (http://archive.vn/xwvnn)

Ottawa (AFP) - Two days after police cleared an indigenous blockade of a key Canadian rail artery east of Toronto, protesters were back Wednesday lighting fires on tracks and throwing rocks at passing trains.

"It is extremely concerning to see people endangering their lives and the lives of others by trying to interfere with the trains, but we're working hard to resolve this," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In parliament he reiterated: "The blockades must come down and stay down."

Meanwhile, new protests have popped up across the country since Monday, briefly disrupting commuter trains in Toronto as government and federal police offices, as well as a museum in Manitoba, were vandalized.

And in Quebec, Premier Francois Legault said Mohawks in the Kahnawake community south of Montreal had armed themselves with assault rifles -- which a Mohawk leader denied.

Protesters had mounted a crippling 18-day blockade on a Canadian National Railway line near Belleville, Ontario and elsewhere on February 6, in support of a small group of indigenous chiefs fighting construction of a natural gas pipeline in British Columbia.

The disruptions to rail traffic -- the backbone of Canada's transportation system, moving more than Can$250 billion ($190 billion) in goods annually -- led to supply shortages and job layoffs.

Police moved in on Monday to clear the blockades after the government's attempts to establish a dialogue with the Wet'suwet'en traditional hereditary chiefs -- who are at the center of the pipeline row -- went unanswered.

- 'Extremely reckless' -

But the demonstrations have now mushroomed into a broader fight for indigenous rights.

"We will not allow your voices to be criminalized or marginalized," a protestor on the steps of the British Columbia legislature in Victoria told a crowd.

Televised images, meanwhile, showed defiant Mohawk members throwing burning tires near their dismantled protest camp in Tyendinaga, Ontario.

A few kilometers away, others poured gasoline on train tracks, and threw rocks, wooden planks and debris at passing trains.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau called these acts "extremely reckless."

"Lighting a fire under a moving train," he said, is especially dangerous if trains are transporting flammable materials. "It could have ignited."

Canadian National Railway noted four blockades of its tracks in Ontario and British Columbia on its website, but said trains were still moving on three of the lines. Only one line west of Toronto was closed.

It has also reached a deal with Canadian Pacific to reroute some trains on the competitor's tracks in order to sidestep protests.

Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett said she was hoping to hear from Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs about possible talks.

The chiefs have demanded that federal police leave their ancestral lands in northern British Columbia and construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline be halted as pre-conditions for negotiations.
---

edit:


https://twitter.com/TPSOperations/status/1232807127095398401 (http://archive.vn/KURfF)

 

[Koby_Fish]

Indigenous protests escalate after Canada rail blockades cleared
https://news.yahoo.com/indigenous-protests-escalate-canada-rail-blockades-cleared-221654575.html (http://archive.vn/xwvnn)

Ottawa (AFP) - Two days after police cleared an indigenous blockade of a key Canadian rail artery east of Toronto, protesters were back Wednesday lighting fires on tracks and throwing rocks at passing trains.

"It is extremely concerning to see people endangering their lives and the lives of others by trying to interfere with the trains, but we're working hard to resolve this," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In parliament he reiterated: "The blockades must come down and stay down."

Meanwhile, new protests have popped up across the country since Monday, briefly disrupting commuter trains in Toronto as government and federal police offices, as well as a museum in Manitoba, were vandalized.

And in Quebec, Premier Francois Legault said Mohawks in the Kahnawake community south of Montreal had armed themselves with assault rifles -- which a Mohawk leader denied.

Protesters had mounted a crippling 18-day blockade on a Canadian National Railway line near Belleville, Ontario and elsewhere on February 6, in support of a small group of indigenous chiefs fighting construction of a natural gas pipeline in British Columbia.

The disruptions to rail traffic -- the backbone of Canada's transportation system, moving more than Can$250 billion ($190 billion) in goods annually -- led to supply shortages and job layoffs.

Police moved in on Monday to clear the blockades after the government's attempts to establish a dialogue with the Wet'suwet'en traditional hereditary chiefs -- who are at the center of the pipeline row -- went unanswered.

- 'Extremely reckless' -

But the demonstrations have now mushroomed into a broader fight for indigenous rights.

"We will not allow your voices to be criminalized or marginalized," a protestor on the steps of the British Columbia legislature in Victoria told a crowd.

Televised images, meanwhile, showed defiant Mohawk members throwing burning tires near their dismantled protest camp in Tyendinaga, Ontario.

A few kilometers away, others poured gasoline on train tracks, and threw rocks, wooden planks and debris at passing trains.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau called these acts "extremely reckless."

"Lighting a fire under a moving train," he said, is especially dangerous if trains are transporting flammable materials. "It could have ignited."

Canadian National Railway noted four blockades of its tracks in Ontario and British Columbia on its website, but said trains were still moving on three of the lines. Only one line west of Toronto was closed.

It has also reached a deal with Canadian Pacific to reroute some trains on the competitor's tracks in order to sidestep protests.

Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett said she was hoping to hear from Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs about possible talks.

The chiefs have demanded that federal police leave their ancestral lands in northern British Columbia and construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline be halted as pre-conditions for negotiations.
---

edit:

Ver archivo adjunto 1162728
https://twitter.com/TPSOperations/status/1232807127095398401 (http://archive.vn/KURfF)

You'll notice this bullshit claim by this one fake hereditary chief to get the RCMP ENTIRELY out of "Wet'suwet'en Traditional Territory". What this means, is, if you take into account the earlier posting about the skellies in the Office of the Wet'suwet'en a few posts back, these fake bully chiefs are trying to be able to bully their entire nation and make certain that the police being unable to do ANYTHING about it. They want those areas to go unpoliced so they have carte blanche to rule the roost and have their way and ordinary non-indigenous citizens will be affected, criminals will come in and be able to operate unchecked. As far as I know the Wet'suwet'en don't exactly have Tribal Police or anything to compensate.

 

[TerribleIdeas™]

I cribbed this from the SJW thread, where I first posted it -

In case anyone is wondering, Teck Mine was a massive oilsands project that's been scuppered, because the federal gov't has apparently decided that encouraging environmental innovation in resource extraction and transport is less important that caving in to the native groups that are blockading projects. The really juicy irony is that the native groups all get their treaty payments from the federal gov't, which gets the money to pay those payments from tax revenue, and the oilsands is a massive revenue generator. Even better is the fact that the Wet'suwe'ten group that's protesting is made up of "Ancestral Chiefs", who are basically pissed that the "Elected Chiefs" signed an agreement on allowing the Trans-Mountain pipeline to go through their "unceded lands"*; essentially, the "Hereditary Chiefs" are mad that they aren't the ones in control of the forthcoming slush fund, and they're livid that they're probably going to be cut out of the graft and nepotism.

* - "Unceded lands", from what I can gather, amount to lands that aren't officially covered by treaties between 1st Nations groups and the federal gov't. The lands in question are part of historical group territories, but were not granted to the treaty group during the negotiations, but are also not "Crown Land", which is territory specifically owned by the federal gov't. Basically, the Wet'suwe'ten protesters are not only bitching that their cut out of the graft, but that the pipeline is running through their "ancestral territory", but not actually through any territory they control or govern. That means they don't actually have any control over access rights, and can't hold an eventually functional pipeline hostage, because they have access to various valve points.

At any rate, apparently Quebec is down to less than 2 weeks worth of propane and natural gas, as a result of the blockades and transport interruptions, and the industrial dairy and livestock farming there is heavily dependent on both to heat barns, equipment, and run a ton of stuff. Quebec is also a massive part of Trudeau's power base, so if they start losing assets, because the Natives are blockading shit, he's in immediate political danger, and Quebec is being hit by the bow wave of a massive winter storm, one that's probably going to dump a couple feet of snow, and see temperatures as low as -30c. If there's not enough propane, there's going to be a lot of dead animals, really quickly.

/americahatsperg.

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.

It's a western thing, probably snagged from Newfies; I've heard 'Chugs' used for over 20 years to describe low-income Natives.

Faster exports make way for faster extraction, plus you need a shit load of bodies to maintain a pipe system which are jobs we're in desperate need of.

Alberta's oil comes from bitumen; it's not a liquid - it's a sand with oil compounds embedded in it. It's a bitch to freight and it's one of the most limiting factors in Canadian oil production. It must be diluted and transported in pipelines, there's simply no alternative mass transport solution. If we had pipelines stretching from the Fort Mac complexes out to Prince Rupert or wherever it'll get shipped from we could just refine the oil on site as it gets shipped out. I don't disagree that we should have a more robust rail line, but good luck getting anyone to sign off on a solid decade of blasting through the northern Rockies for few new rail lines.

No, the Coastal Gaslink pipeline is a separate pipeline project running from Northern Alberta to Prince Rupert with the main purpose to start exporting natural gas by ship.

Its "technically" an oil pipeline in that it Carries hydrocarbons, but its natural gas and does not have the same environmental concerns that the BC government had with trans-mountian.

You have a valid point about hazardous chemicals on trains, but I counter that the sheer volume of the DilBit that the trains need to carry to be of economic value would make a derailment that much more of a environmental problem.

Supposedly, once upon a time, there were investors that intended to turn Rupert into "The Port of the North", and took ship, with some amount of their investment assets, and the ship went down, along the way, taking those assets to the bottom, which made everyone consider the project cursed. That said, the BC native have some stupid fucking legends, like they think Texada Island appeared out of the water overnight, therefore it will definitely disappear overnight, and that's why they laughed at the white hippy assholes that all bought property on the island.

I was ninja'd by koby_fish, but could you quantify why rail would be safer?

I just want to clarify something: the Trans-Mountian pipeline is carrying DBit, and the Coastal Gaslink pipeline (the pipeline being fought over in Houston and the subject of this thread) carries natural gas.

Having worked at a NG compressor station for a summer, I consider natural gas pipelines the most unobtrusive as far as environmental impact goes. A pipeline rupture doesn't contaminate the environment like a liquid does, and is quickly repaired afterwards.

On the sources of Alberta's oil: the tar sands are located in northern Alberta, and southern Alberta produces mainly natural gas. The Southern region of Alberta was famously claimed to have "Hell for a basement" because of all the natural gas and coal deposits.

The major problem with most pipeline runs planned through northern BC is that they have to go up and down the valley sides, and it's ALL valley sides up there, and there's almost always a river at the bottom of those valleys. In order to run a pipeline anywhere but along the rail sides, they have to clear cut the trees along the track, and the second those trees are gone, the topsoil will wash to the bottom. If there's any kind of salmon spawn downstream, the topsoil will contaminate the gravel spawning beds, the roe won't hatch, and the salmon from that spawn will go extinct.

Why is that a problem, you ask? Because after the softwood collapse, everyone up there primarily lives on salmon and potatoes, because there's a limited amount of work, with no appreciable logging available.

The only other ways to run it would be blasting out the rail sides, coring through the mountains, or some kind of huge trestle, which would be cool as fuck, and problem the single largest engineering feat in modern history.

The Wet'suwet'en are a real Indian tribe, but given how corrupt the average Canadian First Nation group is it isn't surprising that a "hereditary chief" could be bought. Sure, his ancestors were chiefs too, but it isn't like he himself is rich outside of being allowed to deal with the government and having some authority over his reservation.

There's so many natural resources on Indian reservations in Canada and the US that the question should be why these communities are so impoverished despite that and how to fix that.

Without power-leveling, I'll just say I grew around people that had connections with Elected Band Councils, and it's entirely about "Us vs. Them", because a lot of tribes were highly socially stratified, so a lot of people nurse slights and feuds from hundreds of years ago. Being elected to a Band Council involves outright graft, whether immediate or delayed; any existing Band Council is absolutely raping the treaty transfer payments to line the pockets of themselves, their family members, the people that helped them win the popularity contest. For a Band Council to actually have someone that's got any kind of management or accounting training is almost unheard of, and the federal gov't just pays the money, and isn't allowed to do audits, or demand accountability.

 

[bippu_as_fuck_ls400]

These people are insanely stupid. Just a regular train derailing at that speed is probably is going to kill anyone standing in the vicinity. A double stack train like that is going to throw those containers even farther away from the tracks.

This is terrorism, plain and simple. Thankfully, there's a low chance of it derailing from this galaxy brained idea they've come up with.

https://mobile.twitter.com/AaronGunn/status/1232745251749548032 (http://archive.vn/Ec0XD)

 

[Koby_Fish]

These people are insanely stupid. Just a regular train derailing at that speed is probably is going to kill anyone standing in the vicinity. A double stack train like that is going to throw those containers even farther away from the tracks.

This is terrorism, plain and simple. Thankfully, there's a low chance of it derailing from this galaxy brained idea they've come up with.

1sG9c8oRwDtRM1h0.mp4

https://mobile.twitter.com/AaronGunn/status/1232745251749548032 (http://archive.vn/Ec0XD)

This is so mindbendingly stupid. Those trains are going over 80 km/hr. Like, even if they'd succeeded in derailing the train, where did they think the cars behind the derailment point were going to go? (Spoiler alert: RIGHT INTO THEM) NOBODY can get out of the way fast enough in that situation. Darwin awards all around.

Ellis Ross, MLA, has another comment, this time in the Times-Communist:

Comment: Last thing First Nations need is foreign groups hijacking our future

A commentary by the MLA for Skeena, a former chief councillor of the Haisla Nation. Most Canadians are becoming painfully aware that there is a distinct movement underway to undermine our . . .

www.timescolonist.com

A commentary by the MLA for Skeena, a former chief councillor of the Haisla Nation.



Most Canadians are becoming painfully aware that there is a distinct movement underway to undermine our resource economy and with it, undo the achievements of Aboriginal community leaders who have been successfully reconciling Aboriginal rights and title with the Crown for the past 15 years.

Many of those lining up against the Coastal GasLink pipeline are non-Aboriginal, while some are even from south of the border.

Foreign influence is nothing new, but what we are seeing today is a well-executed campaign financed by the likes of Tides Canada and the U.S.-based Rockefeller Foundation.

Researcher Vivian Krause has well documented the source of these funds and has followed the distribution of money to environmental activist groups here in Canada. If she wasn’t taken seriously before, I’m sure Canadians will take another look at her research today.

Caught in the middle are First Nations such as the Wet’suwet’en, whose people are being divided by a question of authority between the elected band council members and hereditary chiefs. The other group that’s caught in the middle are everyday British Columbians — including fellow Aboriginals who just want to get home, to work or to the hospital.

The fact of the matter is that all 203 First Nations in British Columbia have different approaches to governance. The last thing any of us need is intervention from foreign groups that want to hijack our future for their own objectives.

Unfortunately, that’s what’s happening right now. I can assure you that most Aboriginal people, their elected band councils and even their hereditary chiefs are far more interested in ending poverty, suicide and the hopelessness we inherited from the past than in pleasing some environmental activist group.

We appreciate the concern that most Canadians have for the well-being of our Aboriginal peoples. But we want reconciliation on our own terms.

It might make you feel better to stand in front of a bridge or stop a railway crossing, but what you are really doing is turning public opinion against First Nations who never asked for your “help” in the first place.

We are lucky that no one has been seriously hurt or killed so far. Most Aboriginal leaders want to keep it that way.

That being said, I do take offence when fellow Aboriginals stick their nose where it doesn’t belong. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, who has been president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs since 1998, is a prime example by recently declaring that “reconciliation cannot be achieved at gunpoint.”

Police wouldn’t have to get involved if we didn’t have outsiders like Phillip stirring up the pot and dividing us, instead of supporting all First Nations equally.

Many First Nations have invested years into establishing their own rights and title, only to have inflammatory comments and actions attempt to set back genuine efforts at reconciliation.

Time and again, self-appointed “Aboriginal spokespeople” try to push their own agenda at the expense of those living both on- and off-reserve.

However, as an elected chief councillor of the Haisla Nation for a number of years, I learned a few things along the way.

First, work from the ground up — meaning do what you can for anybody in need an opportunity at a good life — regardless of ethnicity.

Second, we are not always talking about Aboriginal people. If we pull First Nations out of poverty, we in turn strengthen all other communities, provinces and the country as a whole.

Last of all, stick to the facts. In this case, read all of the case law delivered by the courts and understand the principles that each case provides, and then use these principles to build the future you want.

The bottom line is First Nations want to be independent from the Indian Act funding, and we definitely want to break the cycle of poverty that was passed down to us.

There are very brave Aboriginal leaders out there who are not swayed by distraction politics and they always do what’s best for their communities.

Many of our matriarchs, elders and chiefs have been waiting for decades to see the day when we could see our children and our grandchildren succeed. That day came 15 years ago in my community.

It will be more than just a shame if those people who want to see us fail achieve their goals. I, for one, think that fighting for a future for the next generation of Aboriginals is a worthwhile fight.

For that simple reason, I will continue to oppose those who want to keep us poor and under the Indian Act.

This includes foreign money that has no business interfering with reconciliation.

Two Exceptionally Exceptional individuals got arrested at the BC Legislature for spraypainting shit:

Two arrested at B.C. legislature for spray-painting messages on property

Two people at the B.C. legislature were arrested Thursday morning for allegedly spray-painting messages on or around the building.

www.cheknews.ca

Two demonstrators at the B.C. legislature were arrested Thursday morning after allegedly spray-painting messages in what was reportedly water-soluble chalk on and around the building.

According to Allen Mullen, chief of staff for the Office of the Speaker, the two were arrested by Legislative Assembly Protective Services for mischief.

Mullen said the two people were taken into the building to be processed. They were released without charges, according to Victoria police. They are banned from returning to the property indefinitely.

Mullen said at around 10 a.m., the Legislative Assembly Protective Services saw protesters spray painting the B.C. legislature driveway.

“That is a criminal offence under the Criminal Code of Canada so those arrests were made for mischief of two individuals,” Mullen said.

Mullen said it is unconfirmed whether the paint was water-soluble but Indigenous Youth for Wet’suwet’en said it was chalk paint that was used. Some of the messages have been washed away. The messages included “Reconciliation is Dead,” “Shutdown Canada,” “Land Back” and “Honour UNDRIP.”

Chalk paint is a type of paint that can be used on furniture or other items to create a chalky, aged appearance. It is a water-soluble paint.

“It makes no difference whatsoever whether it was water-soluble or not. It is a clear mischief charge if you are spray painting public property or government property, which they were,” Mullen said.

Mullen said everybody at the legislature supports peaceful protest and the democratic right to protest.

“But when you go into the realm into what is a clear criminal offence i.e. spray painting a public building or a government building, our protective services officers who are all special provincial constables, they’re all peace officers, they will act on criminal offences. And that’s what we saw and that’s what happened this morning,” Mullen said.


Indigenous Youth for Wet’suwet’en, who support the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs opposing the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C., began occupying the B.C. legislature steps on Monday.


The group said that reconciliation is a “colonial facade” of the Canadian government and they intend to remain on the property.

READ MORE: Protesters supporting Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs end Pat Bay Highway blockade north of Victoria, B.C.

In a release, Victoria police said they assisted Legislative Assembly Protective Services(LAPS) with arresting the two protesters Thursday morning and a mischief investigation is ongoing.

Police said the protesters began “began applying a substance to the building, driveway and walkways just after 10 a.m. this morning. This occurred simultaneously at multiple locations around the Legislature building. Some of the messages include profanity.”

Victoria police said the two demonstrators that were arrested were escorted from the grounds.

“Efforts to determine what the substance is and how to clean it are underway,” the release said. Victoria police said legislature staff will determine the cleaning costs.

Victoria police said they will remain at the B.C. legislature to ensure that the protest is safe, peaceful and lawful.

There is an injunction in place obtained by the province on Feb. 13, two days after Wetsuwet’en supporters blocked the entrances to the B.C. legislature. The injunction states protesters are restrained from blocking or physically obstructing the access to the legislature, including public roadways.

But Victoria police say while the protesters are contravening the regulations of the Legislative Assembly area, they are not currently in violation of the injunction.
On Thursday, RCMP in British Columbia said an agreement has been reached with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs that will keep Mounties out of the chiefs’ traditional territories at least while talks are underway with the federal and provincial governments.

A statement issued by the RCMP says senior officers have been “actively engaged” in discussions with the chiefs over the last week.

Police say the chiefs have agreed not to interfere with anyone using a remote logging road southwest of Houston, B.C. that leads to the construction site of the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline.

In exchange, RCMP have agreed to stop patrols along the road while the chiefs hold talks with senior federal and provincial ministers.

And Coastal GasLink, the company at the centre of a dispute over construction of a natural gas pipeline across northern British Columbia, said it has agreed to pause activities for two days along a remote road over the traditional territories of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation.

Hereditary chiefs have been demanding Coastal GasLink workers leave the area as a precondition for talks with federal and provincial politicians.

A statement from Coastal GasLink says its pause in construction is expected to begin when talks begin between the hereditary chiefs, Canada’s minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Carolyn Bennett, and her B.C. counterpart, Scott Fraser

Those talks are slated to get underway later today.

Coastal GasLink says it fully supports the efforts of all parties and is committed to finding a peaceful resolution to the current issues.

With files from The Canadian Press and Roxanne Egan-Elliott, Times Colonist

Honestly, I don't care if people protest in front of the legislature just as long as they aren't blocking anything. Fill your boots. Shine on, you crazy stars. Just, don't spraypaint shit, mkay kids?

 

[Duberry]

EXCLUSIVE: Radical Wet’suwet’en Chief Frank Alec beats wife, negotiates with feds

The fearless source of news, opinion, and activism that you won't find anywhere else.

www.rebelnews.com

 

[Koby_Fish]

EXCLUSIVE: Radical Wet’suwet’en Chief Frank Alec beats wife, negotiates with feds

The fearless source of news, opinion, and activism that you won't find anywhere else.

www.rebelnews.com

Yeah, why didn't the Feds vet that guy before treating him like royalty? Oh, let me guess, IdPol dictates "listen and believe" when someone says they're a hereditary chief.

BTW the protesters at the legislature acted up and now they're gone:
(apparently they weaseled their way into a meeting with MLA Scott Fraser, NDP, and at first agreed to leave after the meeting, but then renegged on that and stayed in so 5 of them literally had to be dragged out):

Indigenous protesters arrested after refusing to leave B.C. legislature meeting room

Staff said the five protesters had made their way inside the room while the legislature was in session earlier in the day, but would not leave when asked.

globalnews.ca

A small group of Indigenous protesters was arrested at the B.C. legislature in Victoria Wednesday night after refusing to leave a meeting room inside the building.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Indigenous Relations said Minister Scott Fraser had invited the group to meet in the Rattenbury Room earlier Wednesday after a request from a larger group of protesters outside. Interim Green Party leader Adam Olsen served as a witness.

“The discussion lasted an hour and a half, was respectful, and occurred in good faith,” the spokesperson said in a statement.


READ MORE: 2 women arrested at B.C. Legislature after spraying liquid chalk on the building

The ministry said the delegation had agreed to leave the room once the meeting ended, but the protesters “reneged on their agreement and made it clear that they would not leave the building as agreed.”

“We are disappointed they have not honoured their commitment,” the statement continued.

Alan Mullen, chief of staff of the Office of the Speaker, said the five protesters would not leave when asked repeatedly while the building was being closed for the day despite several requests afterward.

“Obviously, the building is closed, so they can’t be here,” he said. “The building is closed to the public, and they know that.”

The five protesters were put into handcuffs by Victoria police with the help of legislature security staff. Speaker Darryl Plecas was also monitoring the situation along with new clerk Kate Ryan-Lloyd. Wednesday was Ryan-Lloyd’s second day on the job.

Mullen said the protesters would be removed from the building and face charges of mischief. He wouldn’t speak to whether any other charges would be laid.

Victoria Police said five protesters were arrested for mischief and an investigation is underway. Protesters were transported to police headquarters for processing and released on conditions, which include that they cannot attend the legislature grounds, including Confederation Park.

Police also said officers “responding to the scene were surrounded by over 100 protesters and were unable to respond to emergency calls for service.”

The five protesters are associated with a larger group that has been congregating on the legislature grounds for weeks in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs opposed to the Coastal GasLink pipeline project.

The group had taken over the steps of the legislature leading up to the throne speech last month. That day saw the crowd balloon in size, with protesters blocking both elected government officials and staff trying to enter for the speech.


An injunction covering all B.C. government buildings in the capital prevents the protesters from blocking entrances, but Mullen said the group is still “in the general vicinity.”

Mullen said while legislature staff have been “sort of lenient” about the protesters chanting and setting ceremonial fires outside, the actions of the smaller group went too far.


READ MORE: Victoria police report at least 4 assaults at legislature protest as politicians trade barbs

“When you enter the legislature, the people’s house, and refuse to leave and continue to refuse to leave when asked, that crosses the line as far as we’re concerned,” he said.

The protesters are demanding the RCMP withdraw from traditional Wet’suwet’en territory near Houston, B.C., where 28 people were arrested in February while an injunction was enforced.

They’re also calling for B.C. to revoke the permits for the Coastal GasLink project and nullify all injunctions preventing similar solidarity protests and blockades across the country.


READ MORE: Protesters defy injunction at Port of Vancouver, youth lock themselves to legislature in Victoria

Fraser and his federal counterpart Carolyn Bennett reached a tentative deal on land rights and title with the Wet’suwet’en chiefs Sunday after three days of negotiations in Smithers, B.C.

The agreement, which does not affect the Coastal GasLink project, still has to be ratified by the Wet’suwet’en people before it can be made official by both governments and the chiefs.

The hereditary chiefs have argued their sole rights and title over the land, partially confirmed in a 1997 Supreme Court of Canada decision that the agreement would effectively resolve, gives them the right to deny Coastal GasLink permission to lay the pipeline through their traditional territory.

Protesters pack up and leave:

Protesters pack up camp at legislature; five arrested after refusing to leave building

Tents were rolled up, fires were extinguished and an injunction notice was burned as an 11-day occupation on the ceremonial stairs of the B.C. legislature came to an end Thursday. The camp’s . . .

www.timescolonist.com

Tents were rolled up, fires were extinguished and an injunction notice was burned as an 11-day occupation on the ceremonial stairs of the B.C. legislature came to an end Thursday.

The camp’s closure came on the heels of five arrests overnight, after protesters invited inside to speak with Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Scott Fraser refused to leave after the meeting.

Alan Mullen, chief of staff to B.C. Speaker Darryl Plecas, said it was “grossly disheartening” when at about 8:15 p.m., seven members of Indigenous Youth for Wet’suwet’en indicated they were staging a sit-in.





After talks with legislative protective services and police, two left of their own accord, but five stayed.


“I do think they crossed the line last night,” Mullen said Thursday morning.


“It was an incredible show of good faith on behalf of Minister Scott Fraser to invite these folks in to sit down to talk, and you know it was very disheartening to see how that turned out.”


Mullen said the government has been lenient so far, despite policies prohibiting overnight camping and open flame in the legislature precinct, but he signalled that things were about to change. “We will never allow the rule of law to be disrespected or broken.”


Hours later, the Youth for Wet’suwet’en hosted a news conference, held a ceremony during which they removed and then burned the injunction notice that had been posted to the front doors of the legislature, and began dismantling the camp.


Sleeping bags were rolled up, food and camping equipment was packed, dishes were washed and dried, and open fires that had been used to keep members warm overnight were extinguished.


“This was a community decision,” said Katie George-Jim of Youth for Wet’suwet’en. “We’re leaving in a place of strength.”


George-Jim said it was unfortunate that it took Wet’suwet’en supporters spending 11 consecutive days on the steps of the legislature — and 17 days overall at the precinct — for governments to meet with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs, as they recently did in Smithers.


While there were three days of negotiations and respectful dialogue, “governments had 23 years to have these conversations,” said George-Jim.

The demonstrators will now move on to community dialogue, consultation and reflection, said George-Jim.

Wednesday night’s confrontation began after Indigenous Youth for Wet’suwet’en made six demands on social media, including that they be able to meet Premier John Horgan, Finance Minister Carole James, Attorney General David Eby and Fraser.

During question period and on social media, Liberal MLAs criticized what they called Fraser’s “poor judgment” in allowing the protesters inside the building.

B.C. Liberal MLA John Yap said on Twitter that Fraser met with the group against the advice of security professionals, and put staff and police at risk.

Fraser conceded Thursday the meeting should have been held elsewhere.

The delegation was invited in on condition that they would leave the building following the meeting and they agreed, according to his ministry.

After Fraser and Green MLA Adam Olsen left, the individuals “reneged on their agreement and made it clear that they would not leave the building as agreed,” said a ministry spokeswoman.

“The idea I hoped was to de-escalate,” said Fraser, “and I’m very, very disappointed with the outcome. The talks were respectful. They were [scheduled] for 45 minutes, we went 90 minutes, and they ended in a good way, I thought.”

Fraser said the decision to meet with the group was his call in discussion with the Speaker’s office, and that “it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

The minister said he wanted to share information about what was said in talks with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs last week and ongoing work being done, “and I did that.” He added that he thought his show of respect would be reciprocated by the protesters.

On social media, Indigenous Youth for Wet’suwet’en disputed the government’s version of events. It said seven members were invited to speak with Fraser inside the legislature about 6:30 p.m.

“After a number of hours, discussions broke down, and the Indigenous youth and Scott Fraser could not come to an agreement” that the RCMP and Coastal GasLink leave Wet’suwet’en land.

The group said five of the seven people in the legislature were “violently arrested,” but did not give details except to say that the arrests happened behind closed doors and that those arrested were carried out.

Victoria police said protesters called for others to surround the legislature building and “actively obstructed officers.”

With the large crowd, it took several hours for officers to be able to safely transport the protesters to police headquarters, they said.

“Officers who were responding to the scene were surrounded by over 100 protesters and were unable to respond to emergency calls for service,” police said in a statement, adding there were no injuries.

The five people who were arrested were transported to jail cells for processing and released on condition that they stay away from the legislature grounds, including Confederation Park, police said.


ceharnett@timescolonist.com

 

[Super-Chevy454]

Protesters pack up and leave:

Protesters pack up camp at legislature; five arrested after refusing to leave building

Tents were rolled up, fires were extinguished and an injunction notice was burned as an 11-day occupation on the ceremonial stairs of the B.C. legislature came to an end Thursday. The camp’s . . .

www.timescolonist.com

Strange coincidence then these protestors packed up and leave just around the time then the hidden skeletons of "chief" Frank Alec are out of the closet.

 

[Goofy Logic]

Strange coincidence then these protestors packed up and leave just around the time then the hidden skeletons of "chief" Frank Alec are out of the closet.

Idle No More fizzled out the same way. The tribe leading the protests had their audits released which showed them squandering aid that the federal government was giving them.

 

[Super-Chevy454]

I mentionned earlier this image showing a list of some protestors, now then we know that Frank Alec is a wife beater, just imagine what if someone added some text telling we're support wife beater chief Frank Alec?

 

[TerribleIdeas™]

I mentionned earlier this image showing a list of some protestors, now then we know that Frank Alec is a wife beater, just imagine what if someone added some text telling we're support wife beater chief Frank Alec?

"Now coming to the podium, Hereditary Chief of the Women-Beater Band, and Speaker to White-man for the assembled Woman-Beater Nations, Frank Alec."

 

[Freshly Baked Socks]

NECRO DUE TO FRESH ACTION

RCMP said officers were sent to the site near Houston after Coastal GasLink security reported it was under attack.

Violence has erupted at a Coastal GasLink pipeline work site in Northern B.C., leaving workers shaken and millions of dollars in damage.

Very early Thursday, just after midnight, Coastal GasLink security called RCMP for help, reporting it was under attack by about 20 people, some wielding axes.

RCMP Chief Supt. Warren Brown, commander for the north district, called the attack a “calculated and organized violent attack that left its victims shaken and a multi-million dollar path of destruction.”

Coastal GasLink said in a statement the attackers surrounded some of its workers in a “highly planned” and “unprovoked” assault near the Morice River drill pad site off the forest service road.

“In one of the most concerning acts, an attempt was made to set a vehicle on fire while workers were inside,” said the company in a statement. “The attackers also wielded axes, swinging them at vehicles and through a truck’s window. Flare guns were also fired at workers.”

The company said its workers fled. They were shaken, but no one was physically injured.

Coastal GasLink said attackers used grinders to cut locks on a gate, entering an active construction site. They damaged heavy equipment and construction trailers, causing millions of dollars in damage. More precise estimates were not yet available.

The attackers also cut equipment hydraulic and fuel lines, causing dangerous leaks. The company said it was working to contain the environmental impact.

Photos provided by RCMP showed the extent of the damage to the company’s and contractors’ equipment and property. At least two heavy excavators were toppled on to their sides, trucks were badly damaged and a portable office showed extensive damage to the exterior, with parts of its facade torn down.

After the attack, the attackers disappeared into the night.

RCMP said responding officers were met with a blockade of downed trees, tar-covered stumps, boards with spikes, and fires at the forestry road’s 41 km mark. As police worked their way past the debris, people threw smoke bombs and fire-lit sticks at them. One officer was injured.

At the drill pad site, about 12 kilometres further down the road, officers documented damage to heavy machinery, fencing and portables.

Coastal GasLink said the area was the site of a blockade last year that lasted 59 days.

The natural gas pipeline project has been the target of protests and opposition across Canada.

In 2019 and 2020, RCMP enforced court injunctions issued to Coastal GasLink and arrested project opponents.

In November, a blockade erected by members of the Gidimt’en clan, one of five in the Wet’suwet’en Nation, left about 500 workers stranded near a pipeline work site.

source: https://vancouversun.com/news/local...vernight-with-millions-in-damage-to-equipment
archive: https://archive.md/r6MK2

 

[Socrates]

NECRO DUE TO FRESH ACTION




source: https://vancouversun.com/news/local...vernight-with-millions-in-damage-to-equipment
archive: https://archive.md/r6MK2

That's kind of fucking brutal. Random acts of political extremist violence are based. The booby traps left to snare the police response was a nice touch too.

 

[Pentex]

NECRO DUE TO FRESH ACTION




source: https://vancouversun.com/news/local...vernight-with-millions-in-damage-to-equipment
archive: https://archive.md/r6MK2

I wonder if First Comrade Justin Castreau will use his emergency powers against either stunning and brave BIPOC First Nation folx or ecofreaks who finally decided to go ham for Gaia and do a Werewolf the Apocalypse LARP.