Dozens of Land Defenders Converge on RBC for Kill the Drill Rally

Did you think the RCMP had broken environmental activists opposing the Coastal Gaslink pipeline? It didn't feel like it at all today, because they're back for more.

Banner: Respect Wet'suwet'en sovereignty. Kill the drill

Victoria joined several other cities in marching on its local Royal Bank of Canada as part of a nationwide “Kill the Drill” campaign opposing the bank’s continued investment into Coastal Gaslink, whose natural gas pipeline threatens Wet’suwet’en water supply.

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Good turnout despite of Environment Canada’s special weather warning. At least it was sunny.

There were some cool banners at the event.

A green smoke bomb was tossed as a prelude to the march. VicPD didn’t like it one bit. Me neither, to be honest.

No protest is truly successful without police presence. Otherwise it feels like the government is ignoring it.

In attendance at Centennial Square were about fifty proud land defenders, and of course four police officers. Multiple organisations joined in with banners, such as Elders for Ancient Trees, Save Old Growth, and Extinction Rebellion.

Everyone living in downtown Victoria is familiar with this boat.

The crowd under the watchful eye of local law enforcement.

After fiery speeches, the marchers took to the streets, at which point the police presence swelled. They chanted slogans such as “Kill the Drill!” in reference to Coastal Gaslink’s pipeline drilling underneath the Morice River, threatening both the local population’s water supply and a salmon spawning point. The protesters marched on the local RBC branch on Douglas and Fort, urging it to divest from the company as part of a strategy to hinder the project from an economical standpoint, complementing its legal and extralegal recourse against the highly controversial project.

The protesters before the local RBC branch, at Douglas and Fort. Not the kind of publicity the bank wants.

This protester makes a valid point. While I care nothing for territorial disputes, I sympathise with the local population being oppressed from afar in the name of profit and political expediency.

The colonial invader was invited to join the event too, and eagerly answered the call.

While law enforcement was basically breathing on the protesters’ necks, the rally unfolded without incident. The organisers deployed multiple safety officers to minimise the risk of traffic accidents. No arrests were made.

The event unfolded peacefully because it was Saturday and RBC was closed. On a workday it might have been different.

This campaign occurs amid a resurgence of active resistance at pipeline construction sites on the mainland, escalating to barricades and even the torching of RCMP vehicles. While many may complain that the environmental activists are effectively engaging in eco-terrorism, the RCMP has been widely criticised for exceeding its prerogative, while Coastal Gaslink has been accused of committing numerous environmental law violations. In this respect, the system reaps what it sows.