Clearwater RCMP has launched an investigation after a group of Indigenous activists says they were subjected to a sa国际传媒榲iolentsa国际传媒� attack at their Tiny House Warriors village located on Crown land at Blue River over the weekend.
Tiny House Warrior group leader Kanahus Manuel, who also goes by the name Amanda Soper, said in a statement issued by the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs that she feared for her life Sunday night (April 19) when four Caucasian men allegedly breached a barricade making their way through the encampment and desecrating a memorial display for murdered and missing Indigenous women.
Manuel, who describes herself as a land defender, alleged there was an assault and a truck that was stolen from the encampment on unceded Secwepemc territory was rammed into one of the tiny homes, nearly knocking it off its trailer.
Clearwater RCMP Detachment Commander Sgt. Grant Simpson said the incident was not reported to police until late the following day by Manuel, however, they are investigating the incident as a hate crime, and that RCMP will be looking for suspects.
sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e still working on it and itsa国际传媒檚 still fairly fresh. Wesa国际传媒檙e putting extra resources on it to try and get to the bottom of it and, hopefully, we can in a fairly quick manner,sa国际传媒� Simpson said Tuesday.
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Soper said she believes she was specifically targeted by the driver of the stolen truck and that the attack on the camp was done as retaliation by workers for the Trans Mountain pipeline project, which her group is protesting.
sa国际传媒淭his is just the type of violence the Trans Mountain pipeline man camps are bringing to our territory. It is disgusting that along with attacking us, they desecrated the memorial to the murdered and missing women,sa国际传媒� said Soper in the release.
sa国际传媒淭his was a vicious hate crime. We demand the government immediately cease work on the Trans Mountain pipeline and investigate this incident and the larger threat that the man camps present to Indigenous women and girls.sa国际传媒�
A spokesperson from Trans Mountain said the two individuals shown in photos and video Soper posted to Facebook before the attack arensa国际传媒檛 part of the Trans Mountain workforce.
