Fairy Creek protests come to the Burnaby RCMP detachment

A demonstration outside the Burnaby RCMP detachment drew a crowd of a few hundred people on Monday, in solidarity with the protests happening at the Fairy Creek blockade.

A blockade has been ongoing for months at Fairy Creek, in the southern Vancouver Island region, where demonstrators have been protesting planned logging of old-growth forest by Teal-Jones Group.

Those participating in the blockade and their allies have said the protests have been peaceful acts of civil disobedience, with situations aggravated by police violence. A recent video showed police using pepper spray on demonstrators, the RCMP telling Global News the chemical was used when the crowd became aggressive and was not following orders.

In the video, an officer also appears to punch a demonstrator who had already been taken to the ground, although the motion is obscured by another officer.

Here in Burnaby, a demonstration was held at the RCMP detachment by city hall on Monday, largely focusing on the issue of Indigenous sovereignty and rights.

The rally began just outside of the main entrance, along Deer Lake Ave, before moving in front of a garage door on the east side of the building.

The demonstration saw speeches by numerous attendees, including Indigenous people and people who have spent time at the Fairy Creek blockade.

Rayln Gladue, a Cree man from Saskatchewan who lives in Burnaby and has participated in the Fairy Creek blockade, said he has seen media coverage depicting the demonstrations as including “some sort of volatile or extremist elements,” which he said is “entirely unfounded.”

“What these people merely are trying to do is protect what is an insanely unethical and theoretically illegal actions that these forces are engaging in. And these companies are engaging and we have reports of loggers … assaulting and taunting and instigating and antagonizing these people,” Gladue told Burnaby Beacon.

Police have also been recorded arresting journalists for documenting the confrontations, even after the BC Supreme Court ordered an end to that practice.

“This is untenable. You don’t use pepper spray on people who aren’t resisting, it doesn’t follow your code of conduct in any way. You don’t use pepper spray on media on innocent people helping others who you’ve assaulted. You don’t do that,” Gladue said.

He added that the police over-reported officer injuries without reporting injuries inflicted on demonstrators at Fairy Creek.

“We are just peaceful protesters. We are just standing our ground to protect this forest. And you are the ones who are assaulting everybody. And you are the ones who are causing all of this pain and suffering,” he said.

At the rally, others decried police violence against protesters, who they say are simply defending Indigenous territories from colonial forces.

“We cannot, we will not solve the climate crisis without Indigenous people. … I am tired of watching the beautiful people that I know … be brutalized,” said one person. “Those people deserve our protection.”

Another told the crowd the scene was frightening, but he felt empowered by fighting for something that’s “bigger than yourself,” while another yet urged people to help out at the blockade.

“If you have first aid knowledge, you can be a medic there. If you can cook, you can be a cook there. If you can … drive a car, you can shuttle protesters,” he said. “You are needed. Make no mistake.”

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