A group of artists announced today an appeal of their convictions for criminal contempt of court after a sentencing hearing for their blockade at the gates of the Trans Mountain tank farm in Burnaby in April 2018.
Well, good luck.
They are going to need it. Several people convicted have tried different arguments for why they shouldn’t be convicted. Others have tried in vain to get the injunction quashed – using a variety of arguments.
All have failed because the injunction barring the blocking of Trans Mountain sites in Burnaby is pretty clear. Protesters knew this when they violated the injunction, but say they did it for good reasons.
“I was on Burnaby Mountain because I feel a great responsibility to protect our coast and stand with Indigenous leaders opposed to this pipeline,” said Pia Massie. “Artists have always helped define key moments in history and this is one of them.”
Today, Massie was sentenced to 100 hours community service to be completed within six months. She got off lucky compared to those who have done up to a week in jail.
Massie organized the April 12, 2018 protest that “brought together local artists from universities and grassroots communities to blockade the tank farm gates in an effort to delay construction on the Trans Mountain pipeline and tanker project,” according to a news release.
Massie also helped organize a fundraiser that raised more than $14,000 for the appeal in two weeks. That hardly seems like money well spent considering previous failed appeals, but you never know. Who thought the Federal Court of Appeal would rule the way it did about the National Energy Board’s obviously flawed consideration process.
The group Protect the Inlet also warned in a news release that more Burnaby arrests are likely when/if work on the project begins.
