After courts ruled that they would not be extending the request for a court injunction against old-growth logging protests at the site of blockades in Fairy Creek, the RCMP union has responded.
Brian Sauvé, president of the National Police Federation, said the union is proud of its members’ “professional, thoughtful and patient approach” to enforcing the injunction in the face of “aggressive physical, racial, and personal taunts and threats by some of the [protesters].”
Sauvé concluded by wishing officers “a relaxing and peaceful time at home with their families after so much time away.”
See more: RCMP concerned with dangerous protest methods and heatwave at Fairy Creek watershed
The response comes after Justice Douglas Thompson cited the RCMP’s infringement of civil liberties, including the impairment on freedom of press, and the Court’s risk of “further depreciation of its reputation,” as his core reasons for not granting the extension to the Teal-Jones Group.
Thompson continued to cite contravening orders directed at RCMP officers for their removal of identification and choice to associate with the “thin blue line patches”—a Canadian flag with a blue line between it that is often associated with both police solidarity, but also linked to police violence and impunity.
Sauvé doubled down on the idea of the thin blue line patches officers.
“In many circumstances and on many occasions over the last 133 days, they have embodied the thin blue line between order and chaos,” Sauvé said in his statement.
The recent court ruling and union response is in direct juxtaposition since both the ruling cites RCMP infractions and the fact that the RCMP have been heavily criticized for their role in enforcement of the injunction.
See more: Coalition of media outlets take the RCMP to court over limited access at old-growth protests
Over 1,000 arrests have taken place since RCMP began enforcing the injunction in May and RCMP have been criticized for their heavy handed role.
While the court ruling is a win for many, RCMP will continue to patrol the area and can arrest for crimes, such as digging ditches and certain protest methods that blockaders have been participating in.
Also, logging can still continue in the area that the Teal-Jones Cedar Group owns their license.
