RCMP at Coastal GasLink pipeline blockade raid worried about weapons, booby traps

A police officer told a judge Tuesday that RCMP were worried about weapons, booby traps andpartly felled trees when enforcing an injunction against blockades of construction work on the Coastal GasLink pipeline in November 2021.

RCMP Supt. James Elliott, who was part of theemergency response team as a commander,was testifyingin B.C. Supreme Court in Smithersin an abuse of process hearingfor three people found guilty of criminal contempt of court for breaking the injunction.

The hearing started Jan. 12, directly following the trial for Sleydo', also known as Molly Wickham, a Wing Chief of Cas Yikh, a house group of the Gidimt'en Clan of the Wet'suwet'en Nation; Shaylynn Sampson, a Gitxsan woman with Wet'suwet'en family ties and Corey Jocko, who is Kanien'keh:ka (Mohawk) from Akwesasne, which straddles the Quebec, Ontario and New York state borders.

The abuse of process application filed by the accused alleges RCMP used excessive force when they were arrested and that they were treated unfairly while in custody.The filing asks that if the judge doesn't stay their charges,then itwould be appropriate to reduce theirsentences based on their treatmentbypolice.

Elliott played a role in deciding the resources needed for theraid along the Morice forest service road on Nov. 18 and 19to arrest people who were blocking access to the work sites.

Situation 'very volatile,' says officer

Elliott told Justice Michael Tammenthat he was made awareon Nov. 15, 2021, of the need for several police units to be deployed for the enforcement of the injunctionand arrived in Smithers a day later.

ElliotsaidRCMP had a three-day window to clear the road asthe blockade prevented food, water and medical suppliesfrom getting to workers at a Coastal GasLinkcamp and that fuel there was running low.Elliott said he was worried thatworkers would try and leave the camp and get into confrontations with the pipeline opponents.

Elliott said he considered the situation "very volatile" due to information he had received from other police officers.

He said he was worried aboutan influx of supporters to the area after calls to support the pipeline opponents on social media.

"We didn't know how many people were actually going to show up;we didn't know what level of resistance or violence we could expect," said Elliott.

Elliottsaidhe was considering information about half-cut trees along the side of the forest service road that had potential to fall, a social media post that indicated weapons were hidden under the snow in the area, and the possibility ofbooby traps along the road.

Several other police witnesses also mentionedthe potential for booby trapsbut no one has testified that any were found.

Great law of peace reference misinterpreted

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Frances Mahonestablished that the social media post in question was an Instagram story posted by Logan Staats,a Kanien'keh:ka (Mohawk) musician from Six Nations in Ontario, who pleaded guilty to criminal contempt of court in November for participating in the blockade along the Morice forest service road.

Mohantold court the postsaid "Even in the eye of the storm there is great peace. We all must bury our weapons underneath the pine."

The post makes reference to the Haudenosauneegreat law of peace, in which five warring nations bury their weapons under a pine tree to unite.

Elliott said he was not aware of thiswhen he saw the post, but that he would still need to assume there were weapons present.

Two firearms were found during a police search ofthe tiny house whereSleydo' and Sampsonwere arrested on Nov. 19. The court has not heard any allegationsthat these weapons were unlawful.

The Crown played a social media video post fromNov. 15 from the Gidimt'encheckpoint Facebook page titled"Yesterday, we took ourlandback"that shows an interaction between people at a blockade and Coastal GasLink workers.Later, a person in camouflage can be seen holding a Kanien'keh:ka (Mohawk) warrior flag while riding in a commandeered excavator.

WATCH |The story of the warrior flag:

Oka Crisis: Legacy of the warrior flag

4 years ago

Duration 2:06

The 78-day standoff that began on July 11, 1990, between the Mohawk community of Kanesatake, Quebec police and later the Canadian military put Indigenous rights on the international stage that summer, along with Karoniaktajeh Louis Halls warrior flag.

Elliott, who saw the video when he was planning theraid, said it showed that the blockade members had no intent to leave the area. He saidhe saw the flag as symbolism of "heightened activism."

"This heightened my assessment of risk in the situation," said Elliott.

Mahon will continue cross-examination of Elliott Wednesday.