{"id":199955,"date":"2019-12-21T06:29:30","date_gmt":"2019-12-21T06:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/reports-of-rcmp-snipers-dispatched-to-wetsuweten-blockade-concerning-says-indigenous-services-minister.html"},"modified":"2019-12-21T06:29:30","modified_gmt":"2019-12-21T06:29:30","slug":"reports-of-rcmp-snipers-dispatched-to-wetsuweten-blockade-concerning-says-indigenous-services-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/political\/reports-of-rcmp-snipers-dispatched-to-wetsuweten-blockade-concerning-says-indigenous-services-minister.html","title":{"rendered":"Reports of RCMP snipers dispatched to Wet’suwet’en blockade ‘concerning,’ says Indigenous services minister"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

The Indigenous services minister is calling for a review\u00a0of how RCMP\u00a0resources are deployed in “sensitive”\u00a0conflicts over Indigenous land, after a report surfaced saying police were prepared to use snipers on\u00a0Wet’suwet’en Nation protesters blockading a natural gas pipeline in northern B.C.<\/p>\n

In late 2018, Wet’suwet’en\u00a0members set up\u00a0checkpoints on a remote stretch of forest service road and a bridge, preventing people working on a pipeline project from accessing their traditional\u00a0territory, which sits about 300 kilometres west of Prince George, B.C.<\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

More than a dozen people were arrested during the conflict on Jan. 7.<\/p>\n

The news report, published by the U.K. newspaper the Guardian<\/a>, cites documents stating\u00a0that RCMP called for “lethal overwatch” of the site and officers were instructed to use “violence” in order to remove a roadblock erected by protesters.<\/p>\n

CBC News has not seen the documents referred to in the report.<\/p>\n

“There are a number of very deeply concerning words, phrases\u00a0and terms used to\u00a0a situation that is immensely delicate,” Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said Friday. “This is something that we need to revise as a government and take a look at that, because the terminology is entirely unacceptable.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"
A report from the Guardian suggests RCMP were prepared to use violence against the protesters. CBC News has not seen the documents cited in the report. (CBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/span> <\/p>\n

The RCMP falls under federal jurisdiction.\u00a0Miller said\u00a0police deployment tactics need to be reviewed “in these very, very sensitive situations.”<\/p>\n

Ron Mitchell, also known as\u00a0Wet’suwet’an\u00a0hereditary\u00a0chief Hagwilnegh, says he was alarmed by the report. He recalls meeting with the RCMP’s\u00a0Indigenous liaison during the protests.<\/p>\n

“I was shocked,” he told CBC News. “[The RCMP] assured us that they were there to protect everyone, including us. That was the message we received from them.”<\/p>\n

Mitchell is calling RCMP officials to address the matter directly with\u00a0Wet’suwet’en members.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The question that comes to mind is, who are the RCMP working for?” he added. “They weren’t nice to our people, especially the elders.”<\/p>\n

It’s a sentiment echoed by Martin Peters, a lawyer representing protesters arrested at the blockade.<\/p>\n

Peters said the RCMP\u00a0acted as “security guards” for\u00a0Coastal GasLink, the company behind the pipeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“They seem to be acting at the beck and call of this private corporation,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, Peters said officers “conducted themselves fairly\u00a0admirably” during the arrests.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“They had people screaming and yelling for hours and they did not rise to the bait,” he said. “[They] maintained their composure and did their job.”<\/p>\n

WATCH | RCMP make arrests at the camp:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Police denied documents<\/h2>\n

RCMP have not verified the documents that have been referred to in the Guardian report. A spokesperson said they were denied a request to review them.<\/p>\n

“We have not had the opportunity to determine in what context any of the alleged statements may have been made or by whom,” said\u00a0RCMP\u00a0Sgt. Janelle Shoihet\u00a0in a statement.<\/p>\n

“There are a number of terms referenced in the article that are not generally used by the RCMP during operational planning and others that may be used, but in our opinion have been taken out of context \u2014 both of which are concerning,” she said.<\/p>\n

In particular, police said “lethal overwatch” does not necessarily imply that police were prepared to use snipers on protesters, noting that\u00a0the practice is often used at\u00a0demonstrations or community parades to ensure public safety.<\/p>\n

“Police officers\u00a0who occupy the position of lethal overwatch are tasked with observing, while other police officers\u00a0are engaged in other duties which occupy attention,” said\u00a0Shoihet.<\/p>\n

Police were ordered to enforce the site after the B.C. Supreme Court issued an\u00a0injunction order against people interfering with the pipeline.<\/p>\n

B.C.’s public safety ministry would not comment on the incident.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"
Joseph Choken, right, one of the 14 people arrested on Jan. 7, stands with others alongside the forest service road. (Chantelle Bellrichard\/CBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Article source: https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/rcmp-snipers-first-nation-pipeline-protest-guardian-1.5405111?cmp=rss<\/a>\r\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Indigenous services minister is calling for a review\u00a0of how RCMP\u00a0resources are deployed in “sensitive”\u00a0conflicts over Indigenous land, after a report surfaced saying police were prepared to use snipers on\u00a0Wet’suwet’en Nation protesters blockading a natural gas pipeline in northern B.C. In late 2018, Wet’suwet’en\u00a0members set up\u00a0checkpoints on a remote stretch of forest service road and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[84],"class_list":["post-199955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-political","tag-political"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199955\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}