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CityNews: A timeline on rail disruptions by anti-pipeline protesters across Canada

by The Canadian Press Posted Feb 14, 2020 5:00 pm EST

A land protector walk on the closed train tracks on the ninth day of the blockade in Tyendinaga, near Belleville, Ont., on Friday Feb. 14, 2020, as they protest in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs opposed to the LNG pipeline in northern British Columbia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

RCMP began enforcing an injunction last week that prevents interference with construction of a $6.6-billion natural gas pipeline in northern British Columbia.

Here is a timeline of the dispute, along with rail disruptions by people showing solidarity with the hereditary Wet’suwet’en chiefs opposing the Coastal GasLink project:

Dec. 31, 2019 — The B.C. Supreme Court grants Coastal GasLink an injunction calling for the removal of any obstructions including cabins and gates on any roads, bridges or work sites the company has been authorized to use.

Jan. 1, 2020 — The Wet’suwet’en First Nation serves Coastal GasLink with an eviction notice, telling the company workers are “currently trespassing” on their unceded territory.

Jan. 27 — The British Columbia government appoints former New Democrat MP Nathan Cullen as a provincial liaison with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs in the LNG pipeline dispute.

Jan. 30 — The hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en agree to seven days of meetings with the province.

Read more at CityNews …

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CBC: Video captures Wet’suwe’ten supporter pleading with RCMP in tense enforcement scene

WARNING: Video contains images that may be disturbing to some viewers

Chantelle Bellrichard · CBC News · Posted: Feb 14, 2020 3:40 PM ET | Last Updated: February 14

A screenshot from a video filmed by Denzel Sutherland-Wilson showing a member of the RCMP emergency response team providing what RCMP call ‘over watch’ during enforcement actions at a Wet’suwet’en checkpoint on Feb. 7, 2020. (Denzel Sutherland-Wilson)

A video showing some tense moments of the RCMP injunction enforcement at a Wet’suwet’en checkpoint last Friday is circulating online. 

The RCMP have been tasked with enforcing a B.C. Supreme Court injunction to ensure people are not blocking or interfering with construction of a natural gas pipeline through the Wet’suwet’en nation’s traditional territory. 

Denzel Sutherland-Wilson, a 23-year-old Gitxsan man who recorded most of the footage, said the scene captured in the video took place hours after police first arrived to enforce the injunction against him and a handful of friends, including Eve Saint, daughter of the hereditary chief of that territory, Chief Woos.

The video was taken on Feb. 7, the day of the second wave of enforcement from the RCMP which resulted in four arrests, including Sutherland-Wilson at the Gidimt’en checkpoint at the 44-kilometre mark on the Morice West Forest Service Road. 

The Gidimt’en checkpoint was one of several sites where the Wet’suwet’en and their supporters have been living and asserting that nobody could pass the checkpoint without the consent of the hereditary chiefs. 

It was posted on the Gidimt’en checkpoint Facebook page on Wednesday. 

Much of the video was shot while Sutherland-Wilson stood perched on top of a wooden tower that was constructed on top of a yellow school bus, surrounded by RCMP — including a canine unit and tactical police carrying semi-automatic guns. 

Read more and see the video at CBC.ca …