1 Year Jail Terms for Nonviolent Forest Defenders
Western Canada Wilderness Committee
September 25, 2000
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
--------- BLACK DAY FOR CANADA ---------
Two Elaho ancient forest defenders jailed for one year for their non-violent peaceful acts of disobedience
WCWC SHOCKED AND DISMAYED BY JUSTICE PARRETT'S HARSH WORDS AND BARBARIC JAIL TERMS FOR ELAHO PROTESTERS AND HIS DISREGARD FOR FREEDOM OF THE MEDIA
Western Canada Wilderness Committee is dismayed and shocked at the extremely long sentences and harsh words handed down by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Parrett to those involved in a series of 1999 logging protests against International Forest Products (Interfor) in the Elaho Valley of the proposed Stoltmann National Park. Yesterday, Justice Parrett, who since March 13, 2000, has heard 43 days of testimony with 19 witness and 15 videotapes, found eight people guilty of civil or criminal contempt. Yesterday Parrett convicted two people, Dennis Porter and Rick McCallion, of civil contempt of court and six people, Barney Kern, Chris Nolan, Christopher Keats, Reasha Wolfe, Justine Paine and Betty Krawczyk of criminal contempt of court. One person was found not guilty; Camille Willicombe.
Today at 3:30 PM Justice Parrett sentenced Betty Krawczyk and Barney Kern to one year in jail with no time off for good behavior - by far the harshest penalties ever handed out for such an offense in Canada or the U.S. Resha Wolfe was sentenced to three months; Justine Paine received two months and Christopher Keates received, for compassionate reasons, a suspended sentence with one year probation. Chris Nolan will be sentenced next week, and Rick McCallion and Dennis Porter will be sentenced after an Appeal Court case regarding earlier convictions of Elaho protesters is heard.
During the often acrimonious trial Robert Fleming, lawyer for one of the accused, unsuccessfully petitioned Justice Parrett to step down because of his disparaging remarks about the protesters, which he argued indicated the justices' bias against the defendants. Yesterday's judgment was laced with similar disparaging remarks.
Joe Foy, Western Canada Wilderness Committee Director, who was present in court on Thursday while Justice Parrett read his two hour judgment aloud, was particularly shocked that Dennis Porter, a young video journalist was found guilty of civil contempt of court, even though his sole reason for being in the Elaho Valley was to video-document the ongoing protest. In his judgment Justice Parrett said he had viewed "Hoods in the Woods," the video about Interfor loggers beating up conservationists in the Elaho Valley that Mr. Porter had helped edit, and said that he believed that the video was not balanced. Parrett reasoned that Mr. Porter was therefore not an independent member of the media - and found Mr. Porter guilty of civil contempt of court.
"I am really shocked by Justice Parrett's reasons for judgement with regard to Mr. Porter. I believe them to be an attack on our Canadian concept of freedom of the media," said Foy. "Just because Mr. Porter is not working for one of the billionaires who now control much of Canada's media is no reason to punish him for bravely doing his job documenting the conflict going on in the Elaho Valley. If he'd been working for the Vancouver Sun or BCTV I don't believe he would have been found guilty," said Foy.
"I also found Mr. Parrett's assertion that the environmental protesters were trying to get Interfor's workers to overreact and beat them up, to be particularly offensive and distasteful," said Foy. "No one wants to be beaten up and every one has a right to expect to be protected from violent bullies," asserted Foy. "Such comments from the bench would never be tolerated regarding race or sexual assaults. They incite disrespect for the courts."
Justice Parrett also criticized the RCMP in his oral judgement for failing to properly investigate Interfor in relation to the September 15, 1999 violent attack against conservationists in the Elaho Valley. Parrett recommended an investigation of the RCMP be undertaken by the appropriate authorities. That attack occurred exactly one year ago at a time when his court was in session hearing the contempt charges against these logging protesters. WCWC will continue to push for the RCMP to conduct a criminal investigation of Interfor regarding this attack and a series of other violent attacks on environmental activists in areas where this company and its contractors are logging.
"I believe the controversy over the fate of the Stoltmann Wilderness and its ancient rainforest will continue to grow until the area is afforded the park protection it so rightly deserves. So it's extremely important during this period of conflict that everyone behaves completely non-violently," said Foy.
In response to Justice Parrett's comment that the protesters were "not heroes," Foy had this to say. "The brave women and men who, acting in an honorable and non-violent manner, tried to stop Interfor's logging of thousand-year-old trees in the Elaho Valley will be judged kindly by history. It's the likes of Interfor and those who 'aid and abet' this company in the destruction of the Earth's few remaining ancient forests who will be judged harshly by future generations".
For more information contact WCWC's Joe Foy (604) 683-8220 or on his Cell 889-2580
BC Ancient Forest Rally
Saturday, Sept.30, 2000
12:00 Noon - 2 pm
Provincial Legislature, Victoria, BC
On Sept.30, the Western Canada Wilderness Committee is planning a mass rally at the provincial legislature in Victoria to pressure the NDP and Premier Ujjal Dosanjh to protect key contentious forests and watersheds before the upcoming provincial election. A large turn-out will show the NDP and the incoming government that forest and watershed protection are key election issues. We hope to draw out at least 500 people to the rally from across the province. Your participation makes all the difference. Please come, bring your friends, spread the word. For more info or to help poster in your community contact Ken Wu at (250)388-9292 or wc2vic@island.net.
Protect the:
Upper Walbran Valley
Elaho Valley/ Stoltmann Wilderness
Clayoquot Sound
Great Bear Rainforest
Saltspring Island
Slocan Valley
...and other special places
Speakers so far include Joe Foy and Ken Wu (WCWC), Bryce Gilroy-Scott (Friends of the Elaho), Mary Vickers (Heiltsuk Nation), Andrea Collins (Saltspring Island), Jill Thompson (Sierra Club), Chris Genovali (Raincoast Conservation Society), Chloe Sage (Elliot-Anderson-Christian-Trozzo Water Users - Slocan Valley), Ed May (Friends of Clayoquot Sound), and others...
Music with the Gettin' Higher Choir and a band TBA! Street Theatre!
Where is Premier Ujjal Dosanjh and the NDP government on BC's most contentious forest and watershed issues? Now is the time, before a soon-coming provincial election, to pressure the NDP to protect our most endangered forests. Concerned citizens from all over BC are coming! Speak Up! Take ACTION! Make your voice count!
"Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul" - Edward Abbey
For more info call the Western Canada Wilderness Committee (Victoria) at 388-9292 or e-mail at wc2vic@island.net
Note: We are also developing a large BC map, with key contentious wilderness/forest/endangered ecosystem proposals to present the government, with write-ups about each area, including what is the proposed legislation for the area (eg. provincial park), what you want the government to do, and who to contact. We encourage all environmental groups to contact us at the Victoria office to let us know the area you're working to save and to send a little, one paragraph blurb about it.