Canada Sends Armed Paramilitaries to Clear Fracking Protest
Oct 18, 2013
Canadian authorities on Thursday sent armed paramilitaries wearing camouflage and carrying high-powered rifles to clear out a group of anti-fracking protesters who've blockaded a gas exploration site since Sept. 30, area media reported.
"I can confirm police are enforcing a court injunction and in order to ensure public safety, we have closed the road until it is resolved," a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) told the CBC. "The road will remain closed until the situation has been resolved and certainly public safety is our No. 1 priority at this point."
The blockade was being manned by members of the indigenous Elsipogtog Mi'kmaq First Nation, the Acadians and the Anglophones, who banded together with local activists to prevent a gas exploration project in New Brunswick from going forward. The company behind the project is SWN Resources Canada, a subsidiary of Houston-based SWN Energy.
Video shared on Twitter by activists at the scene (embedded below) shows men in camouflage uniforms aiming sniper rifles and assault weapons at the protesters as activists repeatedly inform them that they are not armed. A reporter with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (ATPN) also captured images of several police vehicles on fire after the confrontation began around 1 p.m. eastern.
Canadian police sprayed dozens of protesters with pepper spray during the melee, which allegedly began after the chief of the Mi'kmaq tribe was "manhandled," according to Canada.com reporter Lauren Strapagiel. There were also reports of tear gas being deployed, and a nameless officer in camo was quoted saying: "Crown land belongs to the government not to the fucking natives."
The RCMP later added that at least 40 people were arrested. "The RCMP has worked diligently with all parties involved in hopes for a peaceful resolution," it said in a media advisory. "Those efforts have not been successful."
This video was published to YouTube on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013.
The siteWow!!!!
No one is coming to save us. Join with us.
| The world is a pretty dark place right now. Economic inequality off the charts. The climate emergency. Supreme Court corruption in the U.S. and corporate capture worldwide. Democracy in many nations coming apart at the seams. Fascism threatens. It’s enough to make you wish for some powerful being to come along and save us. But the truth is this: no heroes are coming to save us. The only path to real and progressive change is when well-informed, well-intentioned people—fed up with being kicked around by the rich, the powerful, and the wicked—get organized and fight for the better world we all deserve. That’s why we created Common Dreams. We cover the issues that corporate media never will and lift up voices others would rather keep silent. But this people-powered media model can only survive with the support of readers like you. Can you join with us and donate right now to Common Dreams’ Mid-Year Campaign? |
© 2023 The Progressive
Canadian authorities on Thursday sent armed paramilitaries wearing camouflage and carrying high-powered rifles to clear out a group of anti-fracking protesters who've blockaded a gas exploration site since Sept. 30, area media reported.
"I can confirm police are enforcing a court injunction and in order to ensure public safety, we have closed the road until it is resolved," a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) told the CBC. "The road will remain closed until the situation has been resolved and certainly public safety is our No. 1 priority at this point."
The blockade was being manned by members of the indigenous Elsipogtog Mi'kmaq First Nation, the Acadians and the Anglophones, who banded together with local activists to prevent a gas exploration project in New Brunswick from going forward. The company behind the project is SWN Resources Canada, a subsidiary of Houston-based SWN Energy.
Video shared on Twitter by activists at the scene (embedded below) shows men in camouflage uniforms aiming sniper rifles and assault weapons at the protesters as activists repeatedly inform them that they are not armed. A reporter with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (ATPN) also captured images of several police vehicles on fire after the confrontation began around 1 p.m. eastern.
Canadian police sprayed dozens of protesters with pepper spray during the melee, which allegedly began after the chief of the Mi'kmaq tribe was "manhandled," according to Canada.com reporter Lauren Strapagiel. There were also reports of tear gas being deployed, and a nameless officer in camo was quoted saying: "Crown land belongs to the government not to the fucking natives."
The RCMP later added that at least 40 people were arrested. "The RCMP has worked diligently with all parties involved in hopes for a peaceful resolution," it said in a media advisory. "Those efforts have not been successful."
This video was published to YouTube on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013.
The siteWow!!!!
Canadian authorities on Thursday sent armed paramilitaries wearing camouflage and carrying high-powered rifles to clear out a group of anti-fracking protesters who've blockaded a gas exploration site since Sept. 30, area media reported.
"I can confirm police are enforcing a court injunction and in order to ensure public safety, we have closed the road until it is resolved," a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) told the CBC. "The road will remain closed until the situation has been resolved and certainly public safety is our No. 1 priority at this point."
The blockade was being manned by members of the indigenous Elsipogtog Mi'kmaq First Nation, the Acadians and the Anglophones, who banded together with local activists to prevent a gas exploration project in New Brunswick from going forward. The company behind the project is SWN Resources Canada, a subsidiary of Houston-based SWN Energy.
Video shared on Twitter by activists at the scene (embedded below) shows men in camouflage uniforms aiming sniper rifles and assault weapons at the protesters as activists repeatedly inform them that they are not armed. A reporter with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (ATPN) also captured images of several police vehicles on fire after the confrontation began around 1 p.m. eastern.
Canadian police sprayed dozens of protesters with pepper spray during the melee, which allegedly began after the chief of the Mi'kmaq tribe was "manhandled," according to Canada.com reporter Lauren Strapagiel. There were also reports of tear gas being deployed, and a nameless officer in camo was quoted saying: "Crown land belongs to the government not to the fucking natives."
The RCMP later added that at least 40 people were arrested. "The RCMP has worked diligently with all parties involved in hopes for a peaceful resolution," it said in a media advisory. "Those efforts have not been successful."
This video was published to YouTube on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013.
The siteWow!!!!
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.