Dozens of protesters in support of the indigenous Vetsweten nation blocked the Canadian National Railroad on Saturday morning in Saint-Lambert in protest against a coastal gas pipeline in British Columbia.
“As long as the RCMP is in Wet’suwet’en territory, we will block the transport infrastructure essential to the Canadian economy and the construction of the coastal gasling pipeline will continue,” said Marianne Côté, a group activist. Anticolonial Montreal.
Protesters chanted the slogan “Close Canada”. Fire logs were brought to the scene, while QMI monitored the scene as activists prepared to stay longer.
“It is important that non-natives take the initiative to respond to the call for solidarity with Wetsweten and to restlessly disrupt Canadian economic and political life,” he said.Me Code for the Protection of Environmental Movements and Territorial Rights for Action.
Longueuil agglomeration பொலிஸ் திணைக்களம் ஆர்ப்பாட்டத்தை மேற்பார்வையிட தளத்தில் இருப்பதாக சுட்டிக்காட்டியது, ஆனால் ஆர்ப்பாட்டக்காரர்கள் சாலை போக்குவரத்திற்கு இடையூறு செய்யாததால் எந்த தலையீடும் திட்டமிடப்படவில்லை.
Exo’s passenger train service, which runs the Montreal-Mont-Saint-Hiller route, is not interrupted as it is not provided on weekends.
“Currently our teams are already meeting to assess the situation and prepare a contingency plan if the event lasts until Monday,” a spokeswoman Jean-Maxim Saint-Hillary pointed out.
For its part, CN restrained itself from stating that it was “closely monitoring the situation” rather than pursuing the measures it intended to take, including a possible ban on the eviction of protesters.
Not the first
The new coup, which comes after a few tense weeks in the Wet’suwet’en area, is reminiscent of the shutdown waves that paralyzed the Canadian rail network in the winter of 2020, shortly before the outbreak.
At the time, train sieges were a hindrance to freight traffic, especially an important rail link in Ontario that blocked the CN route to Quebec and the Maritime. These restrictions came after a strike by railway workers, which caused shortages in the province, especially propane.
In recent times, numerous protests have erupted in the territory of the nation of Wetsweten, which over time have escalated into clashes with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who have made numerous arrests.
In particular, on November 20, 15 people, including two journalists, were arrested in the same phase.
Activists opposed to the pipeline are trying to block access roads and supplies for workers in defiance of the ban.
The coastal gas connection pipeline, about 670 km long, is to carry natural gas from Alberta to the coast of British Columbia. However, the infrastructure transcends traditional indigenous areas, where a section of the population is opposed to the project.