Five members of the group occupying the BC Legislature building were arrested and removed from the building Wednesday night following a meeting with Scott Fraser, minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation.
In a series of social media posts, members of ‘Indigenous Youth for Wet’suwet’en’ – the organizing force behind two occupations of the government building – say seven of its members were invited to speak with Fraser “to discuss the Wet’suwet’en struggle.”
READ ALSO: Students walk out of class, gather in Victoria in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs
The group writes that “after a number of hours, discussions broke down” when they failed to come to an agreement that the RCMP and Coastal GasLink remove themselves from Wet’suwet’en territory.
They then say that five of the seven people invited inside the legislature were “violently arrested after hours of detainment inside parliament.”
But the office for the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation says the group was invited in on the condition they would leave following the meeting. But the Ministry says that after an hour and a half of respectful discussion, “the individuals reneged on their agreement and made it clear that they would not leave the building as agreed.”
“We are disappointed they did not honour their commitment,” says Sarah Plank, the Ministry’s communications director. “Regretfully, this became a security matter that was handled by the independent body of the legislature.”
Fraser and witness MLA Adam Olsen had reportedly left the building by this time.
First, the @vicpdcanada closed the windows so we couldn’t hear & closed the curtains so we couldn’t see. They kept the Indigenous youth inside the building for ~6 hrs with no explanation.
— Indigenous Youth for Wet’suwet’en (@IY4wetsuweten) March 5, 2020
According to the Victoria Police Department, five people were arrested for mischief just after 9 p.m.
“Protesters called for others to surround the Legislature building,” says Bowen Osoko, VicPD community engagement officer. “The protesters actively obstructed officers. With the large crowd, it took several hours for our officers to be able safely transport the protesters to VicPD Headquarters.”
Osoko said there were no injuries and “officers used the minimum amount of force needed to safely affect the arrests. There was no violence.”
VicPD says the five arrested were transported to cells for processing and released on conditions they don’t return to the legislature grounds. The mischief investigations are ongoing.
Indigenous Youth for Wet’suwet’en have taken to social media to share their account of the evening, writing that they are “asking Canada and all of its citizens to remove the veil of silence when Indigenous bodies are being forcibly removed from unceded lands by the state.”
“Reconciliation can’t only apply when saying yes,” they write on Twitter. “Reconciliation is dead. The revolution is alive. The whole damn system is guilty as hell.”
The group has occupied the space twice in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs in opposition of the Coastal GasLink pipeline. Their demands include the withdrawal of RCMP and Coastal GasLink from Wet’su’wet’en territories and an end to the “criminalization of all peaceful Indigenous solidarity actions and blockades.”
The current sit-in started Feb. 24 under the restrictions of an injunction requested by Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Darryl Plecas. The injunction prohibits demonstrators from blocking entry ways or interfering with CCTV cameras.
READ ALSO: Indigenous youth occupy B.C. Legislature steps amidst court injunction
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