Protesters calling for a halt to old-growth logging rallied in Nanaimo to ask RCMP to “stand down” from enforcing an injunction at Fairy Creek on the south Island.
Extinction Rebellion Nanaimo organized a ‘Stand Down RCMP’ event Monday, Aug. 23, outside the Nanaimo RCMP detachment, in solidarity with numerous such rallies provincewide that same day.
“You are acting in contravention of the democratic laws of the country you have sworn to obey,” said Robert Fuller, Extinction Rebellion Nanaimo coordinator.
READ ALSO: B.C. old-growth protesters accuse RCMP of aggression after use of pepper spray
Fred Speck of the Gwawaenuk Tribe on the north Island told those at the rally that they were showing that they care not only about the issue of the RCMP’s enforcement actions at Fairy Creek, but also about old-growth forests.
RCMP have made 740 arrests since the spring while enforcing a court injunction against the logging road blockades near Port Renfrew.
“We are witnessing the actions of a police state during a time of intense national and global connected crises…” noted a news release from Extinction Rebellion. “The RCMP is enabled, by our governments, to enforce the destruction of our biosphere for the primary benefit of people who are already wealthy and who don’t seem to grasp the existential threat that destroying our life support system for profits has created for all of us.”
RCMP, in a press release, said its primary concerns are safety of members of the public, police officers, and preservation of the right to peaceful, lawful and safe protest, while preventing efforts to block industry access in the area.
READ ALSO: Protesters rally outside Oceanside RCMP detachment in Parksville
READ ALSO: Protesters in Nanaimo ask RCMP to stand down from south Island forest blockades
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Fred Speck speaks at the RCMP Stand Down rally outside the Nanaimo RCMP detachment on Monday. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)
