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Dramatic Video Shows Militarized Canadian Police Raid Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders & Journalists

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We feature dramatic video footage just released that shows a violent raid Friday by Canadian federal police on one of the camps set up to keep Coastal GasLink out of sovereign Indigenous territory. Fifteen people in total were arrested, including two journalists. Wet’suwet’en land defender Sleydo’, also known as Molly Wickham, has now been released. The new footage was filmed by documentary filmmaker Michael Toledano, who was also just released. The raid ended a 56-day blockade of the drilling site. The 400-mile pipeline within Wet’suwet’en land violates both Indigenous and Canadian laws.

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StoryNov 30, 2021Get Off Our Territory: Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders Condemn Canadian Police Raid on Pipeline Protest
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: Wet’suwet’en land defender Sleydo’, also known as Molly Wickham, was released from jail Tuesday evening, after being arrested Friday during a violent raid by Canadian federal police on one of the camps set up to keep Coastal GasLink out of sovereign Indigenous territory. The raid ended a 56-day blockade of the drilling site in Canada. The 400-mile pipeline within Wet’suwet’en land violates both Indigenous and Canadian laws. Fifteen people in total were arrested Friday, including two journalists. One of them was documentary filmmaker Michael Toledano, who just released this dramatic footage of the raid.

SHAY LYNN SAMPSON: They’re walking to the door. They’re breaking it down.

MICHAEL TOLEDANO: They’re breaking down the door.

POLICE OFFICER: Get out here.

MICHAEL TOLEDANO: Breaking down the door.

POLICE OFFICER: Show me your hands.

POLICE OFFICER: Show me your hands.

SLEYDO’: Get that [bleep] gun off me! Get your [bleep] gun off me! Lower your gun!

POLICE OFFICER: I want to see everybody’s hands.

SLEYDO’: Get your [bleep] gun off me! This is sovereign Wet’suwet’en land!

POLICE OFFICER: Step away from the door.

SHAY LYNN SAMPSON: The RCMP have breached the door. They are acting under the authority of the injunction.

SLEYDO’: The attack dogs are there.

SHAY LYNN SAMPSON: There are attack dogs here.

SLEYDO’: Standing there, right beside the door.

SHAY LYNN SAMPSON: Militarized police. They used axes found in camp to break down the door.

UNIDENTIFIED: And a chainsaw.

SHAY LYNN SAMPSON: And a chainsaw that they found in camp to break down the door.

POLICE OFFICER: Come here, Molly. You’re under arrest.

SLEYDO’: Don’t touch me!

PERSON: Don’t touch her.

SLEYDO’: Do not touch me.

SHAY LYNN SAMPSON: Get your hands off of her!

POLICE OFFICER: Come here, Molly. You’re under arrest.

SHAY LYNN SAMPSON: Get your hands off of her!

POLICE OFFICER: Hands on your back. This way, Molly.

POLICE OFFICER: You’re under arrest.

SHAY LYNN SAMPSON: This is sovereign Wet’suwet’en territory!

MICHAEL TOLEDANO: I’m filming a documentary for CBC Television.

POLICE OFFICER: No problem. You’re under arrest. Get that out of my face and back up. You’re under arrest.

AMBER BRACKEN: For the record, I’m a member of the media. You’ve been notified that I’m here. I’m an observer.

POLICE OFFICER: You’re under arrest right now, so step out. You’re under arrest.

POLICE OFFICER: OK.

MICHAEL TOLEDANO: I’m coming with you. I’m coming with you.

POLICE OFFICER: Put the camera down.

POLICE OFFICER: You’re under arrest.

POLICE OFFICER: OK. Let’s go.

MICHAEL TOLEDANO: I’m a member of the media. I am filming a documentary for CBC Television.

POLICE OFFICER: OK. OK. Put down the camera. Let go of the camera.

MICHAEL TOLEDANO: You are twisting my — you are twisting my wrist! I’m a member of the media. I’m filming a documentary for CBC Television. I have press credentials.

AMY GOODMAN: Footage of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police raiding Camp Coyote on Friday, filmed by documentary filmmaker Michael Toledano, who was arrested during the raid, then jailed for three days. Visit democracynow.org to see our recent interview with the Wet’suwet’en land defender Sleydo’. She spoke to us on Friday shortly before the raid. The cabin she was speaking to us from has since been burned to the ground.

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

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