Pipeline protesters predict number of arrests over Trans Mountain will eclipse War in the Woods
Protest organizers against the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project say they believe the number of people arrested for civil disobedience will rise or even surpass the number arrested fighting to stop logging in Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island more than two decades ago.
Those logging demonstrations, known as the War in the Woods, marked the largest civil disobedience protest in Canadian history.
The promise of more arrests from Trans Mountain protesters comes despite the threat of spending seven to 14 days in jail for blocking work at Kinder Morgan’s Burnaby Terminal and the Westridge Marine Terminal.
Tzeporah Berman, a director for Stand.earth, is helping organize blockades on Burnaby Mountain with the Indigenous-led group Coast Protectors.
Berman says there are moments in history when governments fail the public interest due to influence from industry and it’s at those moments when people must stand up.
“And I feel that this is one of those moments,” she said about the Trans Mountain expansion project.
The project was purchased by the federal government in May to ensure it gets built, so the focus of the protest is now directed at Ottawa.
There are striking differences between the two protests. The Clayoquot protests were directed against the province and took aim at one of B.C.’s prized resource industries: logging.
The Trans Mountain protests were first directed at an American company and opponents say the project poses many threats, namely it infringes on Indigenous rights, increases the risk of oil spills and contributes to climate change.
Academics who study civil disobedience say that despite the differences between Clayoquot and Trans Mountain, there is potential for more people to get arrested over the pipeline expansion.
Redes Sociais - Comentários