A solidarity demonstration tied to the Coastal GasLink pipeline protest in B.C. closed the Highway 6 bypass in Caledonia on Thursday, according to members of the 1492 Land Back Lane campaign.
In a social media post, supporters said the bypass through “Haudenosaunee Territory in the Haldimand Tract” was blocked in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) confirmed the closure saying it was affecting traffic on Highway 6 between Argyle Street and Greens Road.
“The detours are clearly marked and there may be an increase in traffic in that area” Const. Mary Gagliardi said in a release.
“Please beware of pedestrians and try to avoid the area if possible.”
OPP recommended detours via 4th Line for northbound traffic and turns on to Haldimand Road 66, McClung and onto Highway 54 for traffic going southbound.
The blockade was in response to a post on Twitter revealing the arrest of a First Nation chief in northern B.C.
RCMP have been negotiating with demonstrators who have taken control of a Coastal GasLink construction site in northern B.C.
Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs claimed the project had no authority without consent through their traditional system of governance, inspiring supporters across the country to act in solidarity.
Protests last year against the pipeline on Wet’suwet’en territory set off rail blockades across the country and protesters in the latest dispute issued a news release accusing police of using excessive force during arrests.
TC Energy, which owns the project, disputed the accusations in a statement, saying it had engaged with the Office of the Wet’suwet’en and had unearthed and saved artifacts under the supervision of a trained archeologist.
The 670-kilometre Coastal GasLink pipeline was approved by both the province and all 20 elected First Nations councils along its path to transport natural gas from northeastern B.C. to a processing and export facility on the coast in Kitimat.
–With files from The Canadian Press