9 October, 2018 (Vancouver) Greenpeace Canada has been notified that all charges relating to the 38-hour tanker blockade on the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge have been dropped. Greenpeace lawyers were notified by crown counsel of the decision.
“We’re glad to hear the news that the charges against myself and the 11 other activists that participated in the Trans Mountain tanker blockade have been dropped,” said Farid Iskander, a student based in Vancouver. “With that said it’s atrocious that the government continues to prosecute and send people to jail for standing up against a project that the Federal Court of Appeal found lacks proper approval. Over 220 people have been arrested standing up to this pipeline, and while charges against the 12 of us have been dropped, many defenders have faced or still face potential jail time for defending the land, water and climate from the destruction that the Trans Mountain expansion would inevitably cause.”
Twelve people climbed the Ironworkers Memorial bridge early in the morning on July 3, seven then descended from the bridge deck, creating an aerial blockade that prevented a massive tanker filled with tar sands crude from leaving Kinder Morgan’s Westridge Marine Terminal.
Climbers erected mid-air camps and were supported by five other people who remained on the bridge deck. The action lasted 38-hours before police removed the first climber and the others descended into police boats.
“We took this action because we know that in an era of climate crisis and supposed reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, we cannot afford to build a pipeline that lacks Indigenous consent and flies in the face of our international climate commitments especially given yesterday’s dire IPCC report,” said Mike Hudema, climate and energy campaigner with Greenpeace Canada. “While we are relieved that our charges have been dropped, we call on all levels of government to drop the charges against all those who have stood up against this unlawful project. None of us are free until we’re all free and this pipeline is off the table for good.”
Over 220 people have been arrested opposing the Trans Mountain pipeline project. On October 2, three more people were sentenced to jail time for their peaceful acts of resistance. To date, 15 people have served jail time, and at least a dozen more are facing up to two weeks in jail for their opposition to the pipeline and tanker project.
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For more information, contact:
Mike Hudema, climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace Canada, and Farid Iskander, are available for interviews. To arrange an interview, please contact Steve Cornwell, 519-418-0071, [email protected]
