Anti-pipeline protestors block Niagara Falls bridge to US

Roughly 200 people stopped traffic at the Niagara Falls Rainbow International Bridge on Sunday afternoon, as pro-pipeline protestors caused yet another blockade that has congested streets.

Demonstrations started at around 2 pm, wherein protestors blocked all traffic entering the United States.

In hand, protestors had signs which read, “what about the next generation,” “reconciliation is dead” and “stand with Wet’suwet’en.”

An organizer of the event told CTV that the blockades started as an environmental issue, but has evolved into something that goes “above and beyond that.”

“This is about asserting Indigenous rights, asserting Indigenous sovereignty, to remind the government that they have a legal responsibility to us,” Sean Vanderklis said. “They can’t trample over our rights. They can’t come in and impose these injunctions without proper consultation.”

“We are asserting that we are sovereign and that we are capable of doing what they are capable of doing. If they are preventing people from coming in, we are going to prevent people from coming in,” said Vanderklis.

Vanderklis says that the other issue at hand is Indigenous self-determination, going on to say that the band council system was forced upon Indigenous people.

“Get back to the table and properly negotiate with Wet’suwet’en people,” he said. “We want the freedom to choose.”

Nationwide protests in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en have exploded after RCMP arrested pipeline protestors on Wet’suwet’en territory. Protests have effectively shut down VIA Rail and CN Rail, as the companies feel unsafe operating trains near blockades.