This week saw the start of a criminal contempt trial for a Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief arrested while opposing the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
Chief Dtsa’hyl was arrested alongside other land defenders at a blockade on the Shea Forest Service Road near Houston in October of 2021.
Those arrests came amid accusations of vandalism and stolen equipment from RCMP and CGL workers in the area.
According to the courts, the Chief was arrested while driving his truck along a remote road near a construction site, with heavy-duty batteries in the bed.
His arrest followed a multi-day march in opposition of the pipeline, which CGL alleges rendered much of their equipment inoperable.
Videos presented in court show Dtsa’hyl telling CGL employees that they are trespassing, and that their work is harming the land and water.
They also show him saying that they will not recognize an injunction covering the project, and warning that they will seize CGL’s equipment.
His trial will continue, as the Crown attempts to prove he violated the injunction order, committing criminal contempt in the process.
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