B.C. Loggers Assault Protesters, Burn Camp
9/17/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: B.C. Loggers Assault Protesters, Burn Camp
Source: Environment News Service, http://ens.lycos.com/
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: September 17, 1999
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada, September 17, 1999 (ENS) - Eight
forest conservationists were violently assaulted in the old growth
forest of the Elaho Valley Wednesday about 200 kilometres (125 miles)
north of Vancouver. The victims allege they were beaten by loggers
from International Forest Products and Elaho Valley Logging Co.
"James Jamieson our Millennium Tree Survey camp coordinator, reported
to us that at about 11 Wednesday morning, many pick-up trucks with
International Forest Products (Interfor) and Elaho Valley Logging Co.
written on their doors began to surround him and seven other
conservationists in an Upper Elaho Valley camp," said Joe Foy, WCWC
campaign coordinator.
The camp does not belong to the WCWC, but is organized by the Forest
Action Network (FAN) and People's Action For Threatened Habitat
(PATH). These grassroots action groups are dedicated to keeping the
temperate rainforests of British Columbia intact. Operating out of a
separate camp nearby, Jamieson had been surveying and mapping trees
that are over 1,000 years old for WCWC's campaign to preserve the
Stoltmann Wilderness as a National Park.
About two hours later, Foy received a desperate satellite-phone call
from Jamieson who said that he was locked in his van and surrounded
by some 100 angry loggers. The phone call abruptly ended.
At once, Foy called the Squamish Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
and was told by Sergeant Gary Brine that officers had already been
dispatched to the area.
Before police arrived, Jamieson was dragged from his van, punched and
kicked and thrown to the ground. One man raised a boulder over his
head and threatened to smash Jamieson's brains in. Jamieson's van was
damaged, WCWC's two-way radio and Jamieson's cameras were stolen.
Other conservationists in the camp fared even worse. Cameras were
forcibly removed from the conservationists and smashed. One woman's
neck was injured as she was jerked around by loggers ripping her
video camera off. A male conservationist was beaten and punched - his
eye and knee injured. Other women conservationists and a 15 year-old
boy were beaten severely.
Jamieson reported that an Interfor employee videotaped the attacks
and laughed as the conservationists were being beaten.
At 2:30 pm Jamieson, after being prevented from locating four WCWC
tree survey volunteers under his charge and camped in the nearby
forest, tried to drive his damaged van, containing the injured
conservationists. Behind him, the loggers were burning the PATH/FAN
camp to the ground.
Jamieson was immediately followed by a swarm of Interfor trucks. The
RCMP had still not arrived. All along the 60 kilometre logging road,
Interfor trucks attempted to force him off the road. An Interfor
truck passed him at high speed and blocked the road forcing Jamieson
to stop. Two men got out of the truck and threw rocks at Jamieson's
van. Jamieson backed, swerved and escaped.
In Squamish, Jamieson and the other conservationists gave statements
to the Squamish RCMP. They were treated at the Squamish Hospital and
released.
Foy, and Chris Player, both WCWC employees, traveled up to the camp
early Thursday morning to locate the four missing WCWC volunteers.
"We phoned RCMP Sergeant Brine and requested a RCMP escort, but he
told us that he did not have enough staff," said Foy. "We are going
up regardless. We intend to maintain our Millennium Tree Survey Camp
and continue mapping the ancient giants of the Stoltmann Wilderness
until we are successful in our endeavors to see the area granted
National Park protection," said Foy.
Paul George, WCWC founder, has vowed to seek justice in the courts.
"We ask the RCMP to uphold the law and hold Interfor accountable," he
said.
The RCMP Thursday executed a search warrant on Interfor's Squamish
office. Police were looking for a videotape of the clash between
protesters and loggers, but no videotape was located.
While at Interfor's office, Sergeant Brine was informed by Interfor's
operation manager Dave Miller that the tape had been "destroyed."
Police have yet to determine who destroyed the videotape.
One arrest was made in the incident - a logging protester who was
sitting in a tree at the FAN/PATH camp. Injured by a rock thrown by
loggers, his belongings were burned before he was taken into custody.
The police investigation continues.
A hearing in B.C. Supreme Court today may have shed some light on the
fate of the videotape that recorded the incident.
The case, brought by Interfor, was to seek an expanded injunction
that would keep conservationists and protesters away from the logging
area. Just as Mr. Justice Glen Parrett was about to make his ruling,
the Interfor lawyer jumped up and said that the company too had
looked for the tape. In the course of that search the attorney said
he spoke to the Interfor employee who shot the tape. He was told that
"persons unknown" had asked the employee for the tape, using a threat
to force him to hand it over. The unknown person threw the tape off
the Lava Creek bridge. The judge responded that "the dog ate my
homework excuse" would not be successful in court.
Judge Parrett ruled that not only would the 500 metre "bubble zone"
around the logging work area stay in place, but he added a 200 metre
exclusion zone around the logging road entry points.
Still, Western Canada Wilderness Committee researchers won more
freedom for their activities than they had previously enjoyed.
Adriane Carr, a director of the WCWC said, "Before, every time we
wanted to go through we had to inform Interfor about the timing and
how long we would be there. Now we don't have to do that. Now anyone
authorized by us to be conducting what the judge called 'legitimate
and worthwhile research and activities' must carry a WCWC card and
seal on their person, and a list of those people must be maintained
in our office. We do not have to seek approval of Interfor for access
any time."
The Wilderness Committee is seeking an emergency meeting with
provincial Attorney General Ujjal Dosanj. Carr said the group wants a
public inquiry into the conduct of the RCMP who she says, "did not
act in their capacity to protect public safety." The Committee is
asking Dosanj to ensure that the Crown pursue criminal charges
against the perpetrators.
"I feel very passionately that the people who were acting in a
violent way assaulting the conservationists must be brought to
justice. Interfor is also culpable. They were using company trucks,
radios; it was an organized assault on peaceful conservationists. If
they are not brought to justice, we all lose as Canadians in terms of
our rights and freedoms. I have faith that Canadian citizens abhor
violence and will come down very heavily on these activities."
Joe Foy and Chris Player found the four missing volunteer researchers
on Thursday. Player volunteered to stay on as camp coordinator. The
four volunteers were informed fully, said Carr, and all elected to
stay. Foy is returning with more volunteers who want to go up there
and work.
"We will not back down to bullying," Carr maintained. "We have a
legitimate right to be there."
"This is the most violent attack I've ever heard about in the 15
years that I have been working on B.C. conservation issues," said
Foy. "We simply cannot let these thugs to deter us in our efforts to
see the Stoltmann Wilderness and its thousand year old trees
preserved for future generations. We call on all British Columbians
and on conservationists around the world to condemn this violent
attack and join with us in our quest to preserve the Stoltmann
Wilderness - Canada's foremost National Park candidate."