Two FAN Activists Attacked
Forest Action Network
August 30, 2000
Bella Coola -- Two activists with the Forest Action Network were attacked at 11 AM today while attempting to bike up a logging road at an International Forest Products (Interfor) logging operation at Clatse Lake in the Great Bear Rainforest. Three Interfor employees blocked the road and then proceeded to punch both activists to the ground. A video camera was ripped out of the hands of Adrian McCullough, 25, who was then punched in the face and pushed to the ground. Pat Venditti, 31, was punched in the face when he tried to intervene. Both activists were threatened with further beatings if they did not leave the area immediately.
"We were trying to take pictures of the operation to expose Interfor's destruction of ancient forests when we were stopped and attacked," said Adrian McCullough. "The logger ripped the video camera out of my hands and then punched me in the face while I was trying to get the camera started. I was then thrown to the ground where I was punched again by a second logger who was trying to prevent me from getting to the camera. "
The attack happened about 1 km up a logging road located at Interfor's Cousins Inlet operation. Interfor is currently actively logging and road-building in the area with plans to extract over 350 000 m3 of wood. The area has been identified as core habitat for both salmon and grizzly bear populations on the coast.
"We came to the top of a hill and there were three guys standing there in our way, about 25 meters ahead of us," said Pat Venditti. " As soon as Adrian got the video camera out they started approaching us, with one of them going straight for him. They tried to take my digital camera away from me and as they did that Adrian got knocked down. I went to try and pull the logger off of him and then got punched in the face myself."
This is not the first time people have been attacked by Interfor employees. As far back as 1994 FAN activists were attacked by Interfor at Uri Creek near Pemberton. More recently, more than 100 Interfor employees and their associates attacked environmentalist camps in the Elaho Valley. Using company trucks, radios, and even an Interfor helicopter and carrying crowbars and sledgehammers, Interfor workers hospitalized three and destroyed nearly $30,000 in equipment.
For More Information,
Call FAN Campaigner Louise Molloy, Pat Venditti or Adrian McCullough at
AutoTel: 250.949.4026
Satellite Phone: 1.600.700.2884