Old-growth activists demand RCMP officers leave Fairy Creek area, allege police brutality on the rise
Protesters who have been embedded in the forests of the Fairy Creek watershed of Vancouver Island for months allege police officers have ramped up their tactics and the situation is becoming unsafe.
Old-growth logging activists, who have opposed the logging of ancient trees on southern Vancouver Island for over a year, say in the past three weeks police brutality and officer negligence has put their lives in danger.
"It's clear as day that police are escalating their tactics and being extremely reckless and violent," said Rain Forest Flying Squad spokesperson, Luke Wallace.
A call for Mounties to remove themselves from remote logging roads where they are enforcing a court ordered injunction against protesters was amplified when a video surfaced over the weekend.
The cellphone video shows police unleashing a barrage of pepper spray on a group of protesters they had been trying to remove from a logging road.
Activists say the video is an example of harsher tactics they have faced in recent months.
"Clearly the insanity isn't working," said old-growth activist Kathy Code.
"Isn't that the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result?"
Protesters also say RCMP officers continue to ignore a recent court ruling which said their suppression of media and use of exclusion zones was unlawful.
Mounties have used exclusion zones, which essentially make an area off limits for protesters, since the beginning of their enforcement of the court ordered injunction to remove protesters in May.
PROTESTS ESCALATE
In response to the video posted widely on social media, protesters came out in force to several RCMP detachments on Vancouver Island, and also in Alberta and Ontario on Monday.
A group of several hundred protested outside the Vancouver Island RCMP headquarters on Nanaimo Street, just off Blanshard Street in Victoria.
The group chanted for the RCMP to leave the Fairy Creek area.
Hundreds of people protested outside of the Vancouver Island RCMP headquarters in Victoria: (CTV News)
RCMP RESPONSE
Facing a wave of criticism, Mounties fired back on Monday.
The RCMP says it has in no way ramped up its tactics in recent weeks, but does say due to a higher number of protesters in the area there have been more encounters with activists.
"The officers actions are dictated by the protesters' actions and the number of arrests in recent weeks has climbed because we are dealing with more protesters in the area," said RCMP communications officer Sgt. Chris Manseau.
Police also say they are working with their legal team to properly act within a judge's new rules on exclusion zones. Officers also say in the new ruling they are still allowed to have small exclusion zones for short periods of time.
RCMP officers note that the pepper spray video demands context.
Police say prior to the use of the irritant, an officer was pushed into a deep ditch and knocked unconscious.
Mounties say the pepper spray was only used to quickly break up the large group of protesters so a helicopter could be used to medivac the officer to hospital.
Police say his injuries were serious, but not life-threatening, and he spent two days in medical care.
Lastly, police say despite a large chorus of contempt from activists, officers simply cannot leave until the court ordered injunction expires.
"The RCMP isn’t going to leave until protesters leave," said Manseau.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.