Counter-protesters demolish rail blockade

A group of around a dozen counter-protesters tore down a rail blockade southeast of St. Albert.

Early Wednesday morning, a group of protesters set up a camp near the Winterburn Industrial Area close to Acheson to show solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en blockades taking place in B.C.

The camp set up early in the morning and dozens of protesters blocked the rail tracks with a car and wooden pallets that read, "No consent" and "Reconciliation is dead.” A car also blocked the tracks.

Protesters let vehicle traffic through but early in the morning protesters said a train had approached the tracks and one of the protesters laid down on the tracks to stop the passing of the train.

One man, who went by the pseudonym Poundmaker, said they were standing in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en protests.

“These blockades could be solved so easily but I think we are just going to see the government talk, talk, talk and then just raid our territories again.”

Poundmaker said the only thing that will stop the blockades is Coastal GasLink and RCMP removal from Wet’suwet’en territory.

Counter-protest

During the noon hour counter-protesters gathered and attempted to tear down the camp and push past the protest. They tried to push past protesters into their camps, take down the pallets and rolled away garbage cans next to the camp.

The counter-protesters backed a truck up next to the camp and started trying to load parts of the camp into the truck.

An older woman, Arlene Seegerts, hopped into the back of the truck with another protester trying to pry their items back from the men.

As the counter-protest group grew in size, they became more vocal and bold.

“Your violence is not welcome here,” protester Michael James told the counter-protesters.

The men shouted at the protesters telling them to get jobs and said their camp looked like litter and they were just cleaning it up.

“You liberal paid friggin' protesters can go away,” a counter-protester shouted.

James said he was standing with the First Nation people to make sure their human rights aren’t being abused.

“This is a peaceful protest and we're exercising our democratic right (which) is a right to protest in this country,” James said.

“We just want people to have a dialogue. You don't need violence. You guys, you can see the violence is coming at us. It's not something that we're bringing,” James said.

James noted he was also brought out because of his concerns over the climate crisis.

Seegerts said the Wet’suwet’en people are standing up for the rights of all Indigenous people to live peacefully in their territories.

"If those rights go, everybody's rights go. There won't be an Indigenous person here to claim to have any rights if the government takes them," Seegerts said.

"Yes, it is about the pipeline but that's not the issue. The issue is a violation of Indigenous rights to live on their own lands and their own territories, the right to free, prior and informed consent of what comes on to those lands and what doesn't."

As drivers passed the camp, many told them they are blocking farmers from getting their grain out and one man told the protesters to “drop dead.”

As the counter-protesters pushed on, some of the protesters shouted back and a couple of people tried to wrestle their items back, but the majority formed a human chain and began singing the Strong Woman song.

As the crowd was singing, a process server arrived and dropped off a court injunction at the feet of everyone forming a human chain.

With the counter-protesters becoming increasingly aggressive and a court injunction being served, the protesters decided they needed to pack up their camp.

“The violence that these counter protesters are bringing, we're not comfortable with. We are peaceful protesters,” James said.

While the protesters were preparing to leave, the counter-protesters continued to tear down their camp, filling up a trailer behind a truck.

Court injunction

On Wednesday afternoon, Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Paul Belzil ruled in favour of CN and granted an emergency injunction to the rail line. The injunction will apply province-wide for 30 days, and police can be called to serve and enforce that order.

A lawyer for CN told the court that eastbound and westbound cars carrying perishables, industrial products and flammables were stopped, which would have a “severe” impact on the Canadian economy.

Another lawyer said the blockade is creating a serious safety issue.