Fairy Creek logging protesters may face criminal charges

B.C. Prosecution Service to review each case, will lay charges where evidence is sufficient

The B.C. Prosecution Service might press criminal charges against some of the more than 400 people arrested at the Fairy Creek Watershed.

Various blockades have been in place since August 2020, as protesters try to stop Teal Cedar Products from logging in the remote area of southern Vancouver Island.

Most of the arrests have been for breaching a court injunction issued April 1, which prohibited protesters from blocking access by Teal Cedar to their licenced logging areas. The RCMP began enforcing the injunction in person on May 17 and have since arrested hundreds on civil charges. Those arrests could now be elevated to criminal court.

In a statement Monday, the prosecution service said there’s enough evidence in many cases to result in a conviction, adding there is “a strong public interest” in criminal prosecution of the civil disobedience.

Read the full article here: https://www.goldstreamgazette.com/news/fairy-creek-logging-protesters-may-face-criminal-charges/

Some of the more than 400 people arrested at Fairy Creek Watershed blockades may face criminal charges. (Zoe Ducklow/Black Press Media)
Some of the more than 400 people arrested at Fairy Creek Watershed blockades may face criminal charges. (Zoe Ducklow/Black Press Media)