Anti-pipeline protesters who allowed a dog to take a dump in the lobby, left the excrement outside and shared images of incident on social media showed a lack of respect during a protest at the Burnaby RCMP detachment Friday, according to police.
About 30 people descended on the detachment Friday to protest the arrest of fellow pipeline protester Harry Johnson-Larue, who is accused of assaulting a police officer while the officer was trying to arrest another protester for mischief near Kinder Morgan’s Burnaby Mountain terminal on March 25.
The group refused to leave, and a number of citizens couldn’t access the detachment as a result, police said.
“The Burnaby RCMP detachment also regularly has people who have been victims of crime coming to the detachment to provide statements or information,” stated a Burnaby RCMP press release Tuesday. “This was the case on Friday and the noise of the demonstration caused one victim who was attending the detachment a significant amount of distress.”
The release goes on to say a dog brought in by a demonstrator had defecated on the floor of the detachment lobby. A demonstrator had picked up the excrement but left it outside the detachment, police said.
An image of the dog pooping was shared on social media, according to police.
“Should people decide to demonstrate at any RCMP detachment, we would ask that this demonstration is done respectfully,” states the release.
Since Mid-March, Burnaby RCMP has arrested 168 people demonstrating in and around Trans Mountain facilities, according to police.
The majority were arrested for breaching a court ordered injunction banning people from obstructing, impeding or otherwise preventing access to Trans Mountain facilities.
These demonstrators are due to appear in court in the coming weeks.
In addition to arrests for civil contempt, Burnaby RCMP has also made a number of arrests for mischief, assault of a police officer and obstruction.
