APTN photos from the scene here
APTN National News
OTTAWA--Amid chanting and the pounding of drums, about 100 people arrested Monday during an anti-tar sands protest on Parliament Hill, protest organizers said.
Protest organizer Clayton Thomas-Muller said about 200 people were arrested
According to the RCMP, approximately 400 people gathered on the lawn of Parliament Monday morning to protest the tar sands developments and two pipelines planned to ship the oil to the U.S. and to the British Columbia coast. Both pipelines are strenuously opposed by several First Nations communities.
The RCMP said 117 people were arrested and charged with trespassing under Ontario law. They were released with a $65 fine and banned from returning to the Hill for one year, he said.
Throughout the late morning and into the early afternoon, line after line of protestors, all sporting arm bands and some with phone numbers written on their forearms, marched toward the metal barricades separating the lawn from the concrete steps that lead to Parliament Hill’s Centre Block, which is home to the House of Commons chambers.
As each new line formed for the act of civil disobedience the crowd cheered as a group of First Nations drummers pounded out a heart-beat rhythm.
Lionel Lepine, 33, and Gitz, 28, from Fort Chipewyan, Alta., were in the first line of protestors to get arrested.
After smudging themselves with sweet grass smoke, the two hugged, then held hands before marching toward the metal barricade and the ribbon of yellow police tape strung from one end to the other.
They both climbed over the barricade and peacefully surrendered to the RCMP officers waiting for them on the other side. Their hands were bound behind their backs with zip ties before being led away.
“I vow, till my dying breath, to continue this fight,” Lepine told the crowd of protestors shortly before his arrest.
“We are gathered here today to wake up the rest of Canadians,” said Gitz, who also spoke to the crowd.
The Parliament Hill lawn was ringed by metal barriers on three sides and the steps leading up to Centre Block were blocked by three separate metal fences.
RCMP and Ottawa police officers surrounded the area and police officers were posted on the roof of Centre Block and Parliament Hill’s East Block, which houses the offices of Senators.
Green Party leader Elizabeth May criticized the level of police presence and the presence of “snipers” on the roof.
“(The police presence) is excessive,” said May.
An empty Ottawa city bus was parked on a side driveway on Parliament Hill and the arrested protestors were processed in the open air nearby.
Adding to the security presence is a planned appearance by Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-jaber Al Sabah who was to make a morning appearance with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Parliament Hill.
Western Arctic NDP MP Dennis Bevington was at the protest and at one point gained permission to stand on the blocked off steps to wave to the crowd who cheered in response.
Bevington said “frustration” was mounting over the actions of the Harper Conservative government.
And he said the government was “turning its back” on Aboriginal people and the environment.
Sherbrooke University student Jeanne Beauchamp said she planned to get arrested during the protest to send a message.
“I am here to show (Harper) that the tar sands are not right,” said Beauchamp, 20, standing with a group of protesters wearing arm bands indicating they planned to get arrested. “We are going against the many rights of Aboriginal people.”
Dene Nation Chief Bill Erasmus said the tar sands were sucking the Northwest Territories dry of water.
“We’ve seen a drastic drop in the water through the rivers,” said Erasmus. “We see rocks where there were never rocks before.”
Erasmus said tar sands development was draining four to five barrels of water for every barrel of oil produced.
Saik’uz First Nation Chief Jackie Thomas said her community had created a “wall” that would stop the planned Northern Gateway pipeline project which energy firm Enbridge wants to build to ship tar sands oil to the West Coast.
“We say no to their..pipelines, we say no to the tar sands, we say no to the destruction of our land, our water and our people,” said Thomas.
The protestors were also there to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline to ship Alberta crude to Texas. Canada is backing the project, which still needs U.S. approval. Over 1,000 people recently protested the project at the White House.
Federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver issued a statement outlining the government of Canada`s support for the project.
“If the Keystone pipeline is approved it is expected to generate over 140,000 Canadian jobs and $600 billion in economic activity over (the next 25 years),” said the statement.
Protestors, however, were not swayed by economic arguments.
“Today is one of those sea-change moments against the Harper regimes psychotic tar sands project,” said Thomas-Muller.
“We are doing our duty…as Indigenous keepers of the earth,” said Terry McKay, 66, who was invited to the event as a First Nations elder. “We have to keep the earth in good condition for seven generations.”
