A land defender is arrested before dawn on Thursday morning. All photos by Jesse Winter
UPDATE: Day Two of RCMP Raids
Backed up by tactical officers, dog teams, and drones with infrared sensors, dozens of RCMP officers began raiding Wet’suwet’en land defender camps shortly before 5 a.m.
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On social media, land defenders have tracked police movements as they advance down the logging road.“The convoy just keeps going,” land defender Cody Merriman said in a video posted to the Gidimt’en clan Facebook page."We have just learned that heavy machinery has been heard approaching," Unist'ot'en Camp tweeted at 2 p.m. local time. "A RCMP helicopter is now flying over the Gidimt'en camp."Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde released a statement Thursday afternoon condemning the ongoing raid.“We will never achieve reconciliation through force,” Bellegarde said. “The AFN supports the governance and decision-making process of the Wet’suwet’en leaders. Canada and B.C. should do the same.”This is a breaking story and will be updated.