A photojournalist and documentary filmmaker who were arrested by RCMP in the Wet’suwet’en territory over the weekend have been released..Amber Bracken and Michael Toledano were arrested covering RCMP enforcement at the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline construction project in northern British Columbia, sparking international outrage..Over the weekend, US-based organization the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), released a statement calling for the release of Bracken and Toledano. A Canadian organization, the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) issued a statement demanding their immediate release..“The CAJ calls on Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino to instruct the RCMP to immediately drop any charges against Bracken and Toledano,” reads the release..“Mendicino must also tell the RCMP to stop arresting journalists.”.BC RCMP Assistant Commissioner Eric Stubbs issued a statement of his own, justifying the arrests..“The RCMP understands the important constitutional role the media play in Canada. They inform the public, challenge the status quo and traditional narratives, and they ignite and foster dialogue on important subjects,” said Stubbs..“The RCMP’s relationship with the media is based on mutual respect and professionalism. Our expectation is the media identify themselves as soon as possible and it is our obligation to ensure they have fair and safe access to observe and report.”.Stubbs says the RCMP doesn’t dispute the two journalists were indeed journalists on assignment and that they were not detained for “performing their job,” and “were not denied access to the area, nor were they escorted in or asked to stay in a specific area while enforcement was taking place.”.He said Bracken and Toledano were inside barricaded structures among others, and were given the opportunity to leave the structures before police forced their way in..“They did not identify themselves at any point during this dialogue with police, which lasted over 60 minutes,” said Stubbs, adding the journalists then identified themselves as such once Mounties began detaining those inside..They were processed and held to appear before a judge..“Their personal belongings were secured and not interfered with and are available to be returned after their court proceedings,” said Stubbs..Bracken and Toledano were released after signing conditions to abide by the injunction, to keep the peace and to attend court at a future date, as the hearings continue for “other contemnors.”.The $6.6 billion pipeline has the support of all First Nations along the route, but hereditary chiefs of Wet’suwet’en Nation, through which 28% of the 670-km route passes, oppose it..Reid Small is a BC correspondent for the Western Standard.,rsmall@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/reidsmall
