Police made just two arrests at old-growth logging blockades in the Fairy Creek area on Saturday, June 5, but protesters reported that they were joined by 300 newcomers during the day, including a Vancouver Island Member of Parliament.
One of the two protesters arrested was removed from a “sleeping dragon” locking device at Waterfall camp, a process that took police an hour to accomplish, according to a post by the Rainforest Flying Squad on the Fairy Creek Blockade Facebook page. Both arrested protesters were taken to the Lake Cowichan RCMP detachment for processing.
The RFS also reported that police set up an exclusion zone five kilometres from the nearest camp and 15 kilometres from Waterfall camp, forcing new arrivals to walk in. About 300 people began the hike to Waterfall camp, including Nanaimo-Ladysmith MP Paul Manly. According to the RFS, Manly plans to discuss the old-growth logging issue directly with federal Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett.
At a separate camp on 2000 Road, two 15-year-old girls locked themselves to a gate, preventing logging trucks from entering the area, the RFS said. Neither one was arrested.
READ MORE: Protesters arrested, locking devices destroyed at Vancouver Island logging protest camps
