Ottawa, January 25 (RHC)-- In Canada, police have arrested 12 indigenous youth activists, ending their day-long sit-in occupation of the offices of the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources in British Columbia.  Their protest was the latest among dozens of solidarity actions taken in support of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, which is resisting the $6.6 billion Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline.

Earlier this month, Wet’suwet’en leaders evicted construction workers from the territory and set up a road blockade that cut off access to a Coastal GasLink worksite.  The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have since set up a checkpoint nearby, raising fears of a raid.

First Nations activist Ta’Kaiya Blaney, one of the 12 arrested, told reporters: “Because what indigenous people remember and Canada has forgot is that we have a sacred obligation to this land.  As human beings, we all have a responsibility to that which gives us life. And as indigenous peoples who have safeguarded and stewarded these territories since time immemorial, it is crucial that our sovereignty be respected for our collective climate future.”