RCMP have confirmed that 14 people were arrested at the Gidumt’en access point Monday as police enforced a court injunction along a forestry road near Houston.
Police say they moved in at about 3 p.m. after they say a meeting between Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs and Coastal GasLink failed to resolve the impasse at the Morice West Forest Service Road.
Officers, including Tactical and Emergency Response Teams armed with what appear to be carbines and rifles, broke through the barricade at the camp and began arresting people for violating the injunction order issued last month and for other, unspecified offences.
RCMP North District Media Liaison Corporal Madonna Saunderson says reports of Canadian military involvement in the action are incorrect. Information from the site was difficult to come by, as RCMP set up an exclusion zone preventing media from accessing the area. Saunderson says allegations that police jammed communications from camp members and media at the site are also untrue.
RCMP also allege that during the arrests, police saw a number of fires being lit along the roadway by unidentified people and large trees felled across the roadway.
In an update posted to Facebook Monday night, Hereditary Chief Namoks (John Ridsdale) of the Wet’suwet’en alleges actions taken at the Gidumt’en checkpoint show clearly that industry is steering the government and RCMP. He says police violated We’suwet’en trespass laws and that those arrested are innocent people protecting their rights, title, and honour.
Chief Namoks says it’s “extremely terrible” that those arrested will be transported to Prince George when there are courts within Wet’suwet’en territory which would give family members better access to support them.
The Chief says now is the time for Canadians to stand up and tell the government that they must treat Indigenous people as human beings and recognize Hereditary Chiefs as true owners of Wet’suwet’en land. Chief Namoks says the Wet’suwet’en will never give up their rights, title, jurisdiction, or authority to any form of government.
A temporary injunction issued by the BC Supreme Court last month required occupiers vacate and remove obstructions preventing Coastal GasLink workers from accessing their territory to perform work. The gas pipeline would feed the LNG Canada liquefied natural gas facility being built in Kitimat.
Initially, the injunction was issued against the Unist’ot’en camp blocking the Morice River Bridge, but was later extended to cover the Gidumt’en camp. The Unist’ot’en say RCMP actions appear to be over for the day, but the area is still being cordoned off by police.
