Canadian Police Begin Raid Against Indigenous Protesters Blocking Coastal GasLink Pipeline

TORONTO (Sputnik) - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has begun raiding the campsite blocking the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern British Columbia and has arrested multiple individuals at the camp’s checkpoint, Unist'ot'en Camp said on Thursday.

​The Unist'ot'en Camp said the RCMP began moving beyond the checkpoint into the campsite.

February 6, 2020

February 6, 2020

​Gidimt’en clan spokesperson Molly Wickham said in a video posted to Twitter the camp’s checkpoint was raided at 3:00 a.m. local time and the first arrests took place at approximately 5:00 a.m.

1/2 URGENT UPDATE from Molly Wickham at Wet'suwet'en Access Point on Gidimt'en Territory as the RCMP raid was getting started

ALL EYES ON WETSUWETEN TERRITORY!#WetsuwetenStrong pic.twitter.com/0kONt793Q5

— Gidimt’en Checkpoint (@Gidimten) February 6, 2020

During a press conference on Wednesday, BC RCMP Assistant Commissioner Eric Stubbs said that protesters will have a few options at their disposal to avoid undue conflict.

The Assistant Commissioner said that protesters who wish to be arrested peacefully will not be handcuffed, while those that wish to not move will be carried away with "very little force being used."

Stubbs added that "if the above scenarios do not occur, our members will respond to the behaviours that are presented before them."

The media outlet VICE said the RCMP has taken one of its reporters to a local police station. The outlet said the RCMP did not detain the reporter and released him in the parking lot of the police station.

Only a handful of reporters remain behind police lines after an "exclusion zone" was erected on the premises.