RCMP say they’re investigating after about 20 masked people—some carrying axes—attacked a Coastal GasLink pipeline construction site in northern British Columbia, causing millions of dollars worth of damage by destroying heavy machinery, fencing, and portable buildings.
Some allegedly tried to light a car on fire while workers were sitting in it, according to Coastal GasLink.
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RCMP haven’t announced any arrests, and it’s unclear how 20 people were able to get to and from the remote site without arrest.
Officers were called in by Coastal GasLink security just after midnight on Thursday after suspects allegedly attacked security guards and smashed their car windows, an RCMP statement says.
RCMP officers encountered downed trees, wires, boards with spikes, tar-covered stumps, and fires scattered along 60 kilometres of the roadway leading up to the site. People allegedly threw smoke bombs and burning sticks as police made their way through the mess, an RCMP statement says. One officer was injured.
When officers finally arrived at the worksite, they found significant damage: heavy machinery, fencing, and portable buildings were destroyed. Images show massive construction machinery toppled on its side and other construction vehicles with their windows smashed.
“This was a calculated and organized violent attack that left its victims shaken and a multimillion-dollar path of destruction,” said RCMP Chief Superintendent Warren Brown.
According to a statement by Coastal GasLink, no workers were harmed during the incident but some were “shaken.”
“An attempt was made to set a vehicle on fire while workers were inside. The attackers also wielded axes, swinging them at vehicles and through a truck’s window. Flare guns were also fired at workers,” the statement says. “Workers fled the site for their own safety and remain shaken by this violent incident.”
Suspects allegedly used grinders to cut locks. They also cut fuel and hydraulic lines, causing leaks.
Some people living nearby have voiced skepticism about the RCMP statement on social media.
The incident took place at a CGL pipeline site near Houston, B.C.—the same spot where Wet’suwet’en land defenders set up a blockade and opposition camp late last year. It lasted about two months before an RCMP raid shut it down, and resulted in two journalists being arrested.
Wet’suwet’en elected officials have approved the pipeline project, but hereditary chiefs, viewed by many as the rightful leaders, haven’t. For years, Wet’suwet’en land defenders have blocked pipeline construction on and off, and have faced multiple police raids, many violent.
In early 2020, supporters blocked critical infrastructure across Canada in a national display of solidarity.
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