Coastal GasLink pipeline attack caught on video, RCMP appealing for information
Posted February 23, 2022 7:06 am.
Last Updated February 23, 2022 8:13 am.
Nearly a week after a Coastal GasLink camp in Northern B.C. was left heavily damaged, the RCMP has released videos of the disturbing attack in an effort to identify the suspects.
On Feb. 17, the RCMP were called to the remote area 60 kilometres south of Houston over reports about 20 people had attacked security guards, employees, and equipment at the natural gas pipeline construction site.
The three short video clips released by Mounties show several people, all similarly dressed in what appears to be disposable jumpsuits, attack a company vehicle and other property on site.
Nearly a week after a group of ppl. stormed a CGL pipeline work site, smashing vehicles + confronting workers, RCMP has released video clips showing some of the "calculated + organized" attack. It shows axe-wielding suspects in jumpsuits. @CityNewsVAN https://t.co/WGe4fmHrIe
— Monika Gul (@MonikaGul) February 23, 2022
In a statement on the Coastal GasLink website, they say an employee was inside the vehicle while masked people took weapons to it, he was not hurt.
The RCMP say an officer was hurt after someone allegedly threw a smoke bomb and fire lit sticks at the responding officers.
Read more: RCMP say Coastal GasLink site in northern B.C. ‘attacked,’ causing significant damage
“This was a calculated and organized violent attack that left its victims shaken and a multimillion dollar path of destruction,” North District Commander Chief Supt. Warren Brown said in a statement from RCMP on Feb. 17.
“While we respect everyone’s right to peacefully protest in Canada, we cannot tolerate this type of extreme violence and intimidation. Our investigators will work tirelessly to identify the culprits and hold them accountable for their actions,” Brown added.
The damage is estimated to be in the millions of dollars, with several piece of heavy machinery left unusable following the incident.
The project has approval of the 20 elected Indigenous groups along the route, including the council of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, but was rejected by several Hereditary Chiefs, which sparked rail blockades across Canada in 2020.
On Feb. 19, several Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs signed a statement following the attack, expressing concerns over safety and saying the Elders, Dinize, and Tsakë’ze do not support violence.
There are no reports of any possible motive for the recent attack, but anyone with information is urged to contact RCMP at 250-845-2204.
