More than 30 activists were arrested on Southern Vancouver Island on Saturday, including a prominent environmentalist, as RCMP continue to enforce a court order to allow logging in the area.
This week B.C. RCMP began enforcing a court injunction that orders the removal of blockades set up to protest the logging of certain parts of a 595-square-kilometre area near Port Renfrew. Surrey-based company Teal-Jones Group has tenure of the area, which is about two hours east of Victoria.
The activists, some of whom have chained themselves in place, say they're protesting the logging of B.C.'s last remaining old-growth forests.
There are currently six main camps, and all are affiliated with the Rainforest Flying Squad. Five of them have been termed "blockades," while one — the Walbran Camp — was set up to observe logging activity.
All of the main camps and blockades lie in valley bottoms on narrow dirt logging roads.
On Saturday RCMP Sgt. Chris Manseau said officers arrested six more people at the Waterfall camp for breaching the B.C. Supreme Court injunction order.
A protester carried away by police on Saturday May 21, 2021 from a road that leads into the headwaters of the Fairy Creek watershed on Vancouver Island. (Brad MacLeod)
Officers trained in high angle rescue also arrested two people who were in a platform suspended from trees hear the Hatten area.
Police say 25 people were arrested out of a group of around 100 who crossed police tape at the Caycuse blockade on Saturday, therefore violating the injunction.
Protesters breached the <a href="https://twitter.com/BCRCMP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BCRCMP</a> exclusion zone leading into the Fairy Creek watershed, at 1 pm Saturday. Crowd then sat in the logging road to protest logging of old growth forest. No arrests were made while <a href="https://twitter.com/CHEK_News?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CHEK_News</a> was on scene, officers were hugely outnumbered. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fairycreek?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#fairycreek</a> <a href="https://t.co/2Wg9oHJfGp">pic.twitter.com/2Wg9oHJfGp</a> —@SkyeRyanCHEK
The group arrived at that camp at around noon on Saturday. Police said some of the people were sitting on the road, blocking anyone from going in and out.
"And more arrests are pending as they continue to refuse to abide by the injunction and leave the area," said the release from Manseau.
According to RCMP, 60 individuals have been arrested in relation to the blockades.
Manseau said 47 had been arrested for breaching the injunction (civil contempt of court) and 12 for obstruction.
Of the 47 individuals arrested for civil contempt of court, RCMP are also recommending that two individuals be charged with obstruction, two for possession of stolen property and one for obstruction and assaulting a police officer.
Activists in the area on Saturday said they are motivated to keep up their activities until the province intervenes or the logging companies decide to leave.
"We're willing to risk everything to protect these ancient forests because in the midst of a bio-diversity climate crisis it's morally reprehensible to be logging 2000 year old cedar forests," said activist Duncan Morrison.
Sgt. Kris Clarke said on Saturday that RCMP are, "taking a slow, measured approach with regards to enforcement."
"Our ultimate goal here is safety. We want to ensure that everybody is safe and no one is injured in relation to this injunction."
I have just been released from jail after being arrested blocking old growth logging at Fairy Creek Headwaters. Thanks to all for all the kind messages and support. Please support <a href="https://twitter.com/SaveFairyCreek?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SaveFairyCreek</a> and join them if you can. Every person and everyday matters. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bcpoli?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bcpoli</a> —@Tzeporah
Among those arrested on Saturday was Tzeporah Berman, director of the environmental organization Stand.earth, who was also arrested for participating in logging protests 30 years ago on Vancouver Island.
"I can't believe that almost 30 years after massive protests in Clayoquot, we have to do this again," she said in a written statement.
"But now, there is so little old growth left standing and the government has so far broken its promise to protect what's left."
Supporters for forestry workers on Vancouver Island gathered near Lake Cowichan on Saturday May 22, 2021 to show support for the industry and RCMP over their enforcement of the court order to allow logging activities in the Fairy Creek watershed. (CHEK News)
Also on Saturday, forestry workers and their families gathered along a road along Cowichan Lake to show their support for Teal-Jones and the Mounties working to enforce the court order.
Redditor154448 on May 23rd, 2021 at 08:08 UTC »
Well, if you're looking for simple problems with simple answers... this 'aint it.
Not only does Southern Vancouver Island have your typical government mandated First Nation's elected band councils going against traditional elders and hereditary Chiefs which, because of the unceded territory (there are no treaties with most of the First Nations in BC) gets wrapped up in so many layers of politics it's crazy, we've also got the E&N Land Grant to contend with.
I don't even know how to start... it's just messed up. But... yeah, that E&N grant thing. They basically gave away a huge chunk of Southern Vancouver Island in exchange for getting a railway built in the early 1900's (that we don't use now and can't agree on using because... politics) and while this particular area is just outside that, it still factors in. Not all but some of that private land has been logged very badly. I ride dirt bikes in that area; I know what I'm talking about. They did things way outside of what's allowed on Crown Land, huge clearcuts. And, they made a lot of environmentalists in the process. I mean, you can go to Google Earth and see it. Between Port Renfrew and Victoria, the cut-blocks look different. They're huge, and they look a hell of a lot worse from the ground. Southern Vancouver Island has some crazy militant very dedicated environmentalists. That's part of the reason.
On top of that, they've been logging Southern Vancouver Island before Canada was Canada. There are areas around here where they're harvesting 3rd growth (already been commercially logged twice before). There's not a lot of original left you can drive to... but the only reason you can drive there is because of logging. But, that's Southern Vancouver Island. There are literally millions of hectares of old-growth in BC. 23% of the forests in BC are old-growth... Never been logged, but good luck getting there outside of the parks. Nearly all the easy stuff to get to has been logged, often multiple times.
But, First Nations have a right to their land, and we've managed to at least sort out some of the general locations for what will be "their land" at some future point, and they are getting input on land-use decision while the treaties negotiations are grinding along. Some of them want to log... or do they? Who gets to decide if they log or not? Who gets to decide who gets to decide? The answer to that is with treaties... and there aren't that many. The Nisga’a managed to get a treaty done, and they're logging their lands, their way. But, they're a long way away from Southern Vancouver Island.
And, if you've been counting, the word 'but' comes up a lot in the above.... good luck getting a straight answer. I live here... I don't know.
yaypal on May 23rd, 2021 at 07:31 UTC »
I'm so fucking embarrassed and ashamed our government isn't doing anything to stop this. It's disgusting, and the vast majority of BC residents are against it, I wish the Greens still had coalition power.
morpheusia on May 23rd, 2021 at 04:40 UTC »
Why do humans seem to ruin everything? It seems like a no brainer, don't kill 2,000 year old trees. We can't regrow that.