A couple of lanes on Dogwood Street were closed Sunday afternoon as community members joined other protests across the country in support of Wet’suwet’en opposition to pipeline plans for their traditional territory.
More than a dozen protesters, comprised of Indigenous people and allies, stood in the middle two lanes of Dogwood Street directly in front of the Campbell River RCMP detachment for about an hour around lunchtime.
Kirsten Dobler said they were there to “stand in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people,” show respect for them and to “stand with them as they stand up for their lands.”
“We support Wet’suwet’en and their hereditary leadership as traditional stewards of the land from time immemorial,” she said. “Our land is sacred and we need to support our relatives.”
Protests are popping up all over Canada in support of Wet’suwet’en Nation hereditary chiefs who oppose the construction of a natural gas pipeline on their traditional territories.
“Our goal today is just to provide an inconvenience,” said Dobler on Sunday. “We’re not blocking the road. We’re not inflicting any violence. We are doing a very peaceful protest and just allowing people to feel a little inconvenienced to know how we feel as Indigenous people.”
Drivers were forced to slow down and drive in the right-hand lanes as they passed the protesters.
Another protest is being planned for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in front of Vancouver Island North MLA Clair Trevena’s office.
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