Roy L Hales/ CKTZ News - The Fairy Creek blockade is far from over and there are still a stream of people from the Discovery Islands going there.
Oriane Lee Johnston and two other Cortes Island residents have just returned. When I mentioned she was the eighth Cortesian that I heard of making the trek to Fairy Creek, Oriane responded, “It is quite a lot more actually.” She was informed the stream of visitors has been a pretty consistent.
Geraldine Kenny said a lot of Quadra Island residents have also gone and named three that left on Friday.
On Saturday Dr. Saul Arbess, spokesperson for the Rainforest Flying Squad, explained, “This very day there would be at least 2,000 people around headquarters and then dispatched, if they wish to go, to some of the blockade sites. Every week-end it is extraordinary. The police set up roadblocks to deflect people. I do not know how successful they were today, but there have always been 1,500 – 2,000 people that actually make it.”
Arbess described the roadblocks as illegal, and pointed out that this past week they have prevented tourists from visiting the Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park and Avatar Grove.
The RCMP report for Saturday June 19th mentions seven people arrested after they were removed from various locking and tripod devices. Two were minors. Someone else was arrested for assaulting a police officer, which brings the total number of arrests, since the crackdown began, to 254.
“We were asked to leave on April 1st by Chief Jones of the Pacheedaht First Nation. They have collaborated, now, with the two other interested First Nations, the Huu-ay-aht and Ditidaht and asked all third party interests to leave while they are preparing their forest stewardship plan. We don’t know where that plan stands, what level of development it is at, but we decided it might be reasonable to look at it before we made a decision to leave,” said Arbess.
“There are other interests with the Pacheedaht and the Ditidaht. We are working in that larger traditional territory of the Pacheedaht at the invitation of elder Bill Jones, of the Pacheedaht. He has continued to be steadfast, has certainly asked us not to leave and the actual request for us to leave was never discussed with the people. Their community was not consulted on how they should respond to us.”
Photo courtesy Fairy Creek Blockade Facebook page
