Eco-Terrorism? Axe-Wielding Activists Cause Millions In Damage, Attempt To Torch Pipeline Workers

A band of Native American activists and eco-extremists left a crew of pipeline workers deeply shaken – while causing millions of dollars in damage – at a Coastal GasLink pipeline work site, according to a news report in the Vancouver Sun.

Security at the site called for help after a band of about 20 people, some wielding axes and other weapons, broke through a fence protecting the site. At one point, the attackers allegedly tried to light one of the vehicles on fire…while a crew of workers was inside.

RCMP Chief Supt. Warren Brown, commander for the north district, called the attack a “calculated and organized violent attack that left its victims shaken and a multi-million dollar path of destruction.”

Coastal GasLink said in a statement the attackers surrounded some of its workers in a “highly planned” and “unprovoked” assault near the Morice River drill pad site off the forest service road.

“In one of the most concerning acts, an attempt was made to set a vehicle on fire while workers were inside,” said the company in a statement. “The attackers also wielded axes, swinging them at vehicles and through a truck’s window. Flare guns were also fired at workers.”

The company in charge of the site, pipeline-builder Coastal GasLink, described how attackers used grinders to cut locks and enter an “active construction site”.

Coastal GasLink said attackers used grinders to cut locks on a gate, entering an active construction site. They damaged heavy equipment and construction trailers, causing millions of dollars in damage. More precise estimates were not yet available.

The attackers also cut equipment hydraulic and fuel lines, causing dangerous leaks. The company said it was working to contain the environmental impact.

Images of the damage caused during the attacks can be seen below:

Source: The Vancouver Sun

British Columbia’s public safety minister, Mike Farnworth, denounced the violence as an “egregious criminal activity” that could have led to serious injury or death. Most of the “activists” involved in the attacks were believed to be associated with several close by Native American tribes.

“There is no excuse for such violence and intimidation,” he said in a statement. “All workers deserve to be protected from harassment and harm.”

Police called Thursday’s violent incident a “troubling escalation.”

“While we respect everyone’s right to peacefully protest in Canada, we cannot tolerate this type of extreme violence and intimidation,” said Brown. “Our investigators will work tirelessly to identify the culprits and hold them accountable for their actions.”

Eventually, workers at the site managed to flee, but while they described being “shaken” by the attacks, nobody was hurt.