As part of a province-wide action, protesters in Squamish called on RCMP in Fairy Creek to stop what they characterized as overzealous policing methods.
On Aug. 23, a group of about two dozen local demonstrators gathered to show support for activists who want to ban the logging of old-growth trees in the southern region of Vancouver Island, near Port Renfrew.The Squamish demonstration was not aimed specifically at local police officers — rather, it was one of many ForestMarch BC actions around the province — but protesters gathered at the local detachment to make a general statement about police conduct in the context of the Fairy Creek demonstrations.
In one case, a report from the Victoria Times Colonist says that officers used multiple canisters of pepper spray on a group of protesters who had locked arms and refused to disperse.“There’s been lots of reports of RCMP violence over the last week at Fairy Creek. And, in addition, the Canadian Association of Journalists has said the RCMP are in direct violation of an order from the superior court of B.C. in terms of their exclusion zones and arresting journalists,” organizer Nick Gottlieb told The Chief.
The Canadian Association of Journalists has also criticized RCMP conduct in Fairy Creek, saying multiple reporters have contacted the association to say police have been refusing journalists access to Fairy Creek, and, in one occasion, arrested a photojournalist.“So we’re standing here in solidarity both with the protesters to protect old-growth but also against the RCMP’s flagrant disregard for the rule of law,” Gottlieb said.
Gottlieb said that the local protesters, like others elsewhere, are calling for an independent investigation into police behaviour at Fairy Creek.He also said demonstrators were calling on Premier John Horgan and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth.
However, in one update to the media, RCMP have said that there is more to the story than the videos posted on social media.“We would like to acknowledge that there are videos and comments which continue to circulate online of alleged police misconduct or excessive use of force in the course of their duties while arresting protesters, and of protesters receiving injuries as a result,” reads the statement.
“We would caution anyone viewing these videos and reading comments to keep in mind that they do not capture the events and lengthy efforts (often hours) leading up to, or following the arrests or attempts of arrests of individuals.
“A number of news releases have been issued, beginning June 21st (Update #30), mentioning our concern for the unsafe and dangerous situations the protesters are placing themselves in. Over the recent few days, protesters have increased their tactics to even more dangerous levels such as digging and laying in deep trenches and erecting extremely complicated and unsafe tripods, forcing our officers to adjust the removal processes and techniques to deal with the new dangers.”
