2 women arrested at anti-pipeline protest camp in Burnaby
Burnaby RCMP say it was executing a warrant to remove an illegally parked trailer
Two women outside a Kinder Morgan facility in Burnaby were arrested by RCMPofficers Wednesday evening and are facing charges of obstruction.
The small group who hasbeen demonstrating against Kinder Morgan for almost two monthsposted a video of the incident on social media.
Anti-pipelineprotestors said they havea camper van stationed across Kinder Morgan's entrance for surveillance.
Recently, the group said, authorities have been ticketing the trailer known as "Camp Cloud'."
On Tuesday,Burnaby RCMPsaid they attempted to remove the illegally parked trailer but were met with resistance from the occupants.
The next day, officers raided the trailer on Shellmount Streetwith a warrant to remove the occupants and saidthey had toforce down the door.
"Despite repeated requests made by police to the trailer occupants to respect the warrant as they'd agreed our officers were required to take steps to ensure the safety of everyone involved in the protest," saidSupt. Chuck McDonald of the BurnabyRCMP.
Protestor UniEscuetasaid she sawpolice cars speed up to the site and counted 20 to 30 officers.
"Police just went in there with a big giant pipe and violently broke into the door and violently removed them," she said.
In a news release, Burnaby RCMP said it "respects the rights of individuals to demonstrate peacefully" and is "committed to facilitatinga dialogue between all parties."
The oil and gas giant's$7.4-billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project which would triple the capacity of crude oil from Alberta to B.C. wasapproved by the federal government and the National Energy Boardbut has beenthe subject of sustained protest from environmentalists and Indigenous groups.