The fight to save old-growth trees in the Fairy Creek area has reached a historic milestone.
Police have so far made 882 arrests for breaching a Supreme Court injunction in the disputed logging areas in Tree Farm Licence 46 near Port Renfrew, creating what organizers and the sa国际传媒 Green Party are calling 鈥渢he greatest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history.鈥�
The total surpasses the 856 arrests during protests against logging in Clayoquot Sound in 1993.
Protesters have been 颅blocking logging roads and occupying camps in the area for more than a year. The RCMP has been 颅making daily arrests since Surrey-based Teal-Jones Group, which holds the tree farm licence in the area, secured a court injunction in May.
On Wednesday, sa国际传媒 Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau blamed the provincial government for the arrest tally, accusing it of dragging its feet on implementing its own Old Growth Strategic Review report commissioned 18 months ago.
鈥淭hirty years ago, British Columbians called for change and were heard around the world. Today, British Columbians are again calling for change. The premier has refused to hear them.鈥�
Furstenau urged Premier John Horgan 鈥渢o step up, put solutions on the table鈥� and work with the Pacheedaht First Nation and the federal government to protect Fairy Creek and other old-growth areas.
鈥淒eferring logging of rare old-growth is the bare minimum required, and yet the sa国际传媒 NDP is refusing to meet even this commitment,鈥� Furstenau said.
鈥淲e need to see permanent protection for these rare 颅ecosystems, backed by economic support for affected communities and workers.鈥�
The milestone comes as 颅protest group Rainforest 颅Flying Squad warned that logging has resumed as the fire risk has decreased with cooler weather.
With Teal-Jones鈥� injunction set to expire on Sept. 26, the company has asked the Supreme Court to extend it.
鈥淭he blockaders continue to flout both the stated wishes of the local First Nations and the well-reasoned court injunction, while they spread 颅misinformation through sophisticated campaigns, raise funds and recruit, 鈥� Teal-Jones said in a statement. 鈥淲ithout the injunction, anarchy would reign in TFL 46 鈥� This is the antithesis of peaceful protest.鈥�
On Tuesday, police arrested 16 people in the Fairy Creek area and removed obstructions from the Granite Main logging road, where protesters were secured in buried locking devices and suspended from tripods and cantilevers.
RCMP also investigated the use of a helicopter over the weekend to drop supplies to the protesters, including cement and other materials to make locking devices.
Police said the helicopter may have had call signs and markings illegally obscured.
鈥淎nyone found to be aiding or abetting those breaching the sa国际传媒 Supreme Court injunction can also be charged,鈥� police said in a statement.
Tegan Hansen of Stand.Earth, which delivered boxes of 颅petitions with 150,000 signatures to the legislature last month, demanded the provincial government stop all logging in 颅remaining old-growth forests 鈥渂efore more people on the ground are hurt and before more old-growth is lost forever.鈥�
The group said the RCMP has been 鈥渂roadly condemned for brutality鈥� during arrests, 颅including the use of pepper spray.
The Rainforest Flying Squad said the federal agency 颅overseeing the RCMP has received 73 complaints about enforcement measures as of Aug. 30.
The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP is reportedly probing 17 of those files.
