[ Stimulator ] Mi'kmaq territories, in so-called "Rexton, New Brunswick", October 17, 2013.
"...fuckin' let ___ go!!!"
[RCMP] "You alright?" [woman] "Oh no you're not alright, you assholes!"
[ Stimulator ] At approximately 7:30 a.m.,
over 200 cops of the Royal Colonial Mounted Police, or RCMP,
descended on a Mi'kmaq protest camp
that had been blockading fracking exploration equipment
owned by Texas-based South Western Energy, or SWN.
The Mi'kmaq are the original inhabitants of this land,
and have been engaged in a struggle against SWN,
and their intent to frack their territories for natural gas since earlier this summer.
The cops came in, guns drawn, with safety's off,
and several of them were outfitted with camouflage and carried semi-automatic rifles.
They had surrounded the encampment
where members of the Mi'kmaq Warrior Society were staying.
[ Mark Corbiere ] They came in through the fire exit, the far entrance, near the highway,
with probably about 75 to 100 cops on that end.
There were shots fired at one point,
I believe one of the people in camo was firing in the air.
[ Stimulator ] I then saw molotov cocktails bein' lobbed at the heavily armed cops
by people hiding in the woods.
[loud intense screams ]
I was then kicked out of the conflict zone by a senior officer, and threatened with arrest.
[cop] If you do happen to come back, sir, I'm just saying, I'm not saying you are, but if you do,
you will be placed under arrest.
[ Stimulator ] I refused to go behind the police line, and kept a position where I could witness the events,
and avoid arrest for as long as possible.
[cop on bullhorn] Attention! Attention!
You are prohibited from hindrance, interference,
or obstructing access to the staging area into our facility,
or obstructing or impeding traffic.
Anyone that continues to do so will be arrested and removed from this area by police."
[ Stimulator ] A tense standoff continued for the next two hours.
[ Stimulator ] I could hear supporters gathering from behind the police line in the town of Rexton.
[ Stimulator ] Mi'kmaq supporters were able to break through the RCMP line,
and were rapidly headed in the direction of the blockade while singing songs.
At this point I could see the police were panicking.
[ shot fired ]
The cops in camouflage moved in on the Warrior encampment,
and another group of police formed a line to meet the supporters,
effectively pushing me out of the conflict zone.
[ yelling from supporters and cops... ]
Scuffles between police and supporters of the Warriors followed,
and a fierce standoff between Mi'kmaq youth and the RCMP continued throughout the day.
The cops used pepper spray and beanbag rounds on the crowd,
which included many underage youth.
[ hollers from the supporters ]
[young woman ] It hurts! It hurts it hurts!
[ Stimulator ] Anger at the police was at a boiling point,
and in fear, the cops abandoned their cars and moved to the safety of the police line.
At around 1:30 pm supporters were asked to put down their cameras
while people set the RCMP vehicles aflame, to the cheers of many.
Fire trucks were told to turn around and let the cop cars burn.
The cops continued to amass behind the police line.
Cops in full riot gear, armored personnel carriers, and dozens of snipers filled the blockade site,
but the fearlessness of the Mi'kmaq people was unquestionable,
and they would not leave until the RCMP invaders were gone.
Around this time, reports started coming in that all SWN equipment had been removed.
Finally, around dusk, after arresting over 40 people, the cops retreated and left the zone.
On Saturday, hundreds of people from all over Turtle Island descended on the blockade site.
The corporate media were told by locals that they were not welcome,
and were ordered to leave the area.
I stood up! I stood up and told them to get the fuck outta here!
[ Stimulator ] As reports of solidarity actions from around the globe came in,
people blocked Highway 11 for several hours,
signaling to the world that the resistance against South Western Energy
will continue until all frackers are gone.
[ Captions by the Radical Access Mapping Project, On Un-ceded Coast Salish Territories, 2013 ]