Wet'suwet'en Nation sympathizers block ports and railways as Greta Thunberg signals support for B.C. legislature demo

    1 of 1 2 of 1

      Update: Red Braid Alliance for Decolonical Socialism tweeted early this evening that those demonstrating outside port facilities have been served with injunctions.

      Original story

      The RCMP's enforcement of a B.C. Supreme Court injunction in northern B.C. is having economic impacts thousands of kilometres away.

      Protesters sympathetic to Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs have set up a blockade outside Deltaport to signal their opposition to the police action on unceded traditional Indigenous territory.

      Delta police have set up a perimeter preventing a dozen demonstrators from continuing to talk to drivers of approaching vehicles.

      The Red Braid Alliance for Decolonial Socialism tweeted that pedestrians can still walk into the facility and that the longshore workers' union is respecting the "picket line".

      Supporters of the Wet'suweten hereditary chiefs have also blocked traffic into the Port of Vancouver for four days since the RCMP began its enforcement action on Thursday (February 6).

      Over in Victoria, a tent city has been created on the grounds of the B.C. legislature by supporters of the hereditary chiefs, who oppose all pipelines on unceded territory.

      That received the thumbs-up from Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg.

      Vancouver was the site of a large demonstration at Vancouver City Hall in support of Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs. 

      “The Horgan and Trudeau governments cannot continue pretending to ignore the sheer number of ongoing and escalating solidarity actions across Turtle Island that are progressively paralyzing the critical infrastructure of this country," Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said. "We are especially humbled and inspired that the majority of these critical actions are being fully led and carried out by Indigenous youth."

      Phillip is president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, which organized the event along with Idle No More, Indigenous Climate Action, Coast Protectors, Our Time, Sustainabiliteens, and UBCc350. 

      "We are proud to continue to stand with the Wet’suwet’en and we are disgusted with the hollow statements from government hoping for ‘peaceful reconciliation’ when they have the power and authority to stop the RCMP from forcibly removing Indigenous peoples from their own territories," Phillip added. "We are devastated that the government is acting in complete opposition to its commitments to take action on climate change—instead they are only worsening the emergency.”

      There have also been demonstrations in other parts of Canada. 

      blockade of railway traffic near Belleville, Ontario, reportedly caused the cancellation of Via Rail service between Toronto and Montreal and between Toronto and Otawa. It also shut down CN Rail service.

      The Tyendinaga Mohawk people took this action to show their support for the Wet'suwet'en people.

      According to CBC News, CN Rail has obtained a court injunction.

      Gitxsan people, traditional allies of the Wet'suwet'en, staged their own rail blockade in Hazelton on Saturday (February 8), according to Soglegem, a hereditary chief of the Wet'suwet'en Fireweed Clan.

      There has also been a protest in Seattle on behalf of Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs.

      Twenty-one people were arrested in the first three days of the RCMP's enforcement action in northern B.C.

      Below, you can see some of the comments, videos, and photos being distributed over social media.

      Comments