Caught on tape: RCMP officers laugh about brutal arrests
C-IRG Silver Commander admits Charter violations, apologizes to Wet’suwet’en in court
At least four different members of a controversial RCMP unit laughed about police brutality, people with disabilities and the campaign for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in recordings played for a Smithers courtroom Wednesday.
“That big fuckin’ ogre-looking dude, he’s actually like, autistic,” one officer said, describing an Indigenous man arrested on Wet’suwet’en territory in November 2021. Another C-IRG trooper can be heard laughing.
“The fuckin’ guys just beat the shit out of him, and then he started crying. I felt bad for him,” the officer continued to more laughter, describing the swarming of an unarmed land defender by police on a remote snow-covered road near the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
“Apparently the Sergeant grabbed his balls and twisted. I guess he was on the ground and everyone was just grabbing limbs. He didn’t have a limb to grab, so he like, just grabs his balls, like, you done now? You done resisting?”
The Sergeant referred to is likely Kevin Bracewell, a former British Army tank commander and police trainer in Afghanistan. Bracewell led the tactical troop that conducted “hands on” arrests south of Houston and in New Hazelton during the multi-day C-IRG operation.
Candid audio captured on a hot mic
Police arrested three journalists and several legal observers, and barred others from the road – so there are no videos or photos of much of what happened November 18, 19, or in the days afterward in RCMP jail cells in Houston and Prince George.
But the court got a small window into officers’ conduct during and after arrests, thanks to wireless microphones that continued recording after being confiscated by police. Defence lawyers played the audio during questioning of Superintendent Jim Elliott, the Silver Commander in charge of Coastal GasLink injunction enforcement.
Justice Michael Tammen, himself a former criminal defence lawyer, was seen shaking his head after one clip was played. Crown prosecutors looked ashen. “Unprofessional and unacceptable,” Elliott said from the stand after hearing the ‘ogre’ tape, apparently for the first time.
The audio should lend weight to earlier allegations by Indigenous arrestees that they were transported in what appeared to be dog kennels and subjected to pain compliance techniques. Wet’suwet’en land defenders describe a pattern of violent and degrading treatment by officers before, during and after arrests.
Revelations could upend contempt trial
Last week the judge said he was prepared to make a finding of criminal contempt against three defendants. Sleydo’ (Molly Wickham), a wing chief in the Gidimt’en clan, Shay Lynn Sampson, a Gitxsan woman from the related Lax Gibuu clan, and Corey “Jayohcee” Jocko from Akwesasne were arrested in the path of the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
But Tammen agreed to hear an application for abuse of process by the defence, which alleges that police violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to such a degree that the charges should be thrown out. That extended the trial and brought RCMP witnesses back for cross-examination.
Shortly before these arrests in Fall 2021, another judge refused to extend an injunction at Fairy Creek, saying widespread civil liberties violations by C-IRG officers put the court’s reputation at risk. If he feels similarly, Tammen could order a stay of proceedings. Or he could find the defendants guilty of contempt, but factor the circumstances into sentencing.
In the coming days, defence lawyers will question RCMP dog handlers and jailers, seeking to show how nonviolent arrestees were treated with excessive force, arbitrarily detained and denied bail without just cause.
Police compare Indigenous women to monsters
Also played for the court was separate audio from another microphone, previously reported on by The Narwhal but apparently never heard by Superintendent Elliott, Crown prosecutors or the judge.
As police moved toward their tiny home near Wedzin Kwa (the Morice River), Sleydo’ and Shay Lynn Sampson donned red dresses and painted red hand prints over their mouths, in memory of Wet’suwet’en women missing and murdered along B.C.’s notorious Highway of Tears.
Meanwhile ERT (Emergency Response Team) members in helmets and green uniforms, armed with sniper rifles, semi-automatic carbines and 40mm projectile launchers were stalking through the woods toward the cabins. ERT teams provide “lethal overwatch” for C-IRG operations, rappel out of helicopters and breach structures to conduct arrests.
Superintendent Elliott, a hulking former ERT member in a rumpled suit, agreed that red dresses are an easily recognized symbol of the campaign for justice for murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. “The red hand prints, I believe it’s connected as well,” Elliott agreed.
All the officers under his command, Elliott said, would have had special training on Indigenous cultural sensitivity, plus a final PowerPoint presentation reminding them to respect Indigenous and Charter rights. Yet on tape, two different groups of officers laugh and joke about the women looking like monsters from The Lord of the Rings.
“They all had the fuckin’ paint like, are you an orc?” one officer says. On the other mic, two more police discuss the journalists arrested that day with Sleydo’ and Shay Lynn Sampson. “The one Amber chick is fine, the media chick. She’s clean and normal. But the one dude is a fuckin’ tool,” a voice says, in reference to Amber Bracken and Michael Toledano.
“Do they have fuckin’ face paint on too? They’re not orcs?” says another officer. “The Uruk-Hai, yeah, they burst from the earth,” says the first as the other giggles. Superintendent Elliott shook his head. “That is unacceptable. I’ll offer my personal apologies. That should never have happened.”
Asked by defence lawyer Frances Mahon if the officers’ conversations suggested that arrestees’ Charter rights had, in fact, been violated, Elliott said yes.
Gassing Sleydo’ would “make the RCMP look bad”
At another point on the recording C-IRG officers talk about what sounds like a party. “Did you see that picture of Jordan dressed as a wizard, drunk as fuck?” Their laughter is at odds with commanders’ description of the mortal danger awaiting them in the snowy woods, justifying sniper teams, police dogs and the use of gas.
Following Supt. Elliott on the stand was Inspector Glen Fishbook, called 8 Zulu 50 or simply “Fish” by his men. The Bronze commander in charge of the Emergency Response Team, Fishbook appeared in court like a diminutive college professor, with reading glasses perched on his head. But he moves and scans the room like an elite tactical operator, which he is.
Watching Sleydo’s livestream on Facebook, police knew she had a wooden board across the door of her tiny rectangular cabin on wheels. Fishbook called it a “deadman barricade” and a “high-risk situation” for his officers. Common practice, he said, would be to shoot gas canisters through a door or window to force occupants, choking on chemical smoke, to come out into the open.
“Ultimately, with Superintendent Elliott, I decided not to because of the optics,” Fishbook testified. “For fear it would be turned around to make the RCMP look bad.” But his ERT members hadn’t brought other breaching tools. So they commandeered axes and a chainsaw from the camp to break down the door, pointing a 40mm projectile launcher directly at Sleydo’.
“I didn’t precisely dictate the methods,” Fishbook said. “It’s not my role to micromanage.”
Eby government doubles down on C-IRG
“Can we just gas ‘em?” one officer asks as the microphone rustles around. “I’m surprised they didn’t, no chemicals authorized,” says another. “That’s what they always do is just gas, gas, gas.” “It’s a lot less invasive than [inaudible] the fuck out of them, wrenching their hands [inaudible].”
The RCMP’s civilian watchdog is conducting a ‘systemic review’ of the C-IRG unit after hundreds of complaints from years of Wet’suwet’en raids, Trans Mountain arrests and violent melees at Fairy Creek. Sleydo’ and other members of the Gidimt’en clan are also suing the RCMP and private security contractors for harassment and intimidation.
Dogwood and many other groups have called on B.C. to abolish C-IRG. But rather than disband the unit, David Eby’s NDP government is giving it increased and permanent funding, according to commanders. C-IRG, which stands for Community-Industry Response Group, is also getting a rebrand. In future operations it will be known as CRU, the Critical Response Unit.
Inspector Ken Floyd, who was a Bronze commander during the Fall 2021 C-IRG operations, has been promoted to Superintendent, transferred from Prince George to Surrey and made Gold Commander of the new CRU. Justice Tammen will rule in February on another high profile contempt case: that of Fireweed clan wing chief Dtsa’hyl, who was arrested by Floyd in October 2021.
Last November, Tammen acquitted Dakelh land defender Sabina Dennis on the same charge. 146 cases at Fairy Creek fell apart in court after C-IRG officers didn’t bother to read arrestees the full injunction. But the real point of C-IRG, or CRU, is not to conduct investigations or even to make charges stick in court.
“These are multibillion dollar projects that are being stopped,” former Gold Commander John Brewer told the CBC’s Fifth Estate. “The goal here is to allow industry, under the injunction, to complete their work.”
It’s been more than two years since Sleydo’, Shay Lynn Sampson and Corey Jocko were dragged out of cabins at gunpoint. Their trial could stretch into the fall. Meanwhile Coastal GasLink has completed construction of the pipeline – without ever having to deal with the question of who actually holds jurisdiction over the land.
If their victory in the Delgamuukw-Gisday’wa case is any indication, the Wet’suwet’en will one day be vindicated in court. Hopefully they will win some measure of justice for what B.C. and Coastal GasLink have done to their lands and people. But for now the Eby government considers this a winning template – and they’re betting on CRU to crush opposition to future pipelines.
Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs and their respective clans are the proper title holders, the governments cannot change that. The Delgamuukw-Gisday’wa case recognizes their inherent title and rights, and its been over 25 years that the province and federal government were to meet with the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs to work out a tripartite agreement. Instead the governments decided to breach and violate the Supreme Court decisions, ignore inherent title and rights and the minimum human rights recognized in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that is now their own legislation.
With the conduct of the existing C-IRG which was put before the courts, against Indigenous Women, Disabled Peoples and those defending the land the Commanders/Unit members have demonstrated serious human right violations and this unit should be abolished as many have called for. Rather than the government increasing funding, rebranding to form a permanent Critical Response Unit which mandate is to ensure major projects like oil & gas industry and forestry get priority and the government’s backing. And the government has paid over 20 million or more for this petro policing. These monies that go to petro policing and resource extractivism could go into sustainable renewable resources that do not harm the Earth or Waters or any Peoples. And the governments should quit stalling and respectfully meet with the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs about their territorial lands and resources which is what the Supreme Court and legislation called for. And equally important is to halt further investments in fracking gas and dirty fossil fuel which are main contributors to Global Warming and Climate Change, twice the temperature went beyond the 1.5 Celsius and we have seen the impacts with flooding, wildfires and heats domes that will increase with the path that we are on. Thank you for the insightful article, for the Climate Crisis we all need to do better, there is no Planet B and there are hard decisions we must make to ensure a future for our children and grandchildren.
I have no words, I am weeping, I’m a 78 year old non Indigenous woman who has been up to the Unist’ot’en camp once, 8 years ago and I know, slightly some of the people mentioned in the Dogwood piece, making the horror of these reports even more upsetting to me personally. But the violence, casual brutality of the CIRG personnel and the resulting suffering they caused reminds me of the descriptions of the behavior of Nazi SS Gestapo criminals that I have only read a tiny bit about and never watched a film about because it breaks my heart and the images stay in my mind for a long time. I cannot imagine what the actual suffering of the victims in these accounts are dealing with as a result of the abusive violence reported on here. This unit should be disbanded immediately, and David Eby (and John Horgan before him) and anyone else with any power and/or responsibility for allowing this to have happened in the past and to continue into the future should be held to account and the general public made aware of all of this. It’s shocking, totally shocking and horrific. We are getting closer and closer to living in a police state, and now, with modern recording devices, and other technology, citizens of Canada and the rest of the world should be made aware of this as well.
What is this? Eugenics? Genocide? My father was not Indigenous, but a refugee from the Second World War, and after his mother and family came here the Canadian government tried to deport them for six years and they were called “Damned Displaced Persons”. RCMP = Really Corrupt Malicious Police. Say no more.
Big business has no respect for the individual, regardless of race. In order to get fair dealings Canadians need to start voting on the “issues” rather than a government body. Until then, we are simply pawns.
A supporter of “You Vote”
What a disturbing and disgusting way to treat fellow humans. The Canadian government is acting like they are at war with our own. Stop the insanity over big oil. Just because they have money doesn’t mean they should be above the law. Accountability needs to be held to the destruction of the only planet we have.
Thank you Kai, and Judy Wilson.
C-IRG/CRU should not be funded by our provincial government.
Officers involved in cruel and racist behaviour should be charged.
Violating Indigenous land title and not being held accountable – the companies responsible should be held accountable at the very least.
This is shameful, abusive and terrifying. This could not happen in a civilized society…we obviously have a long way to go to reach the goals of reconciliation. I hope the cases are all thrown out and the armed forces sent in by our government and the government itself are tried in the court of public opinion and found wanting and replaced by leaders who know the status quo isn’t working!
It’s impossible to imagine any kind of defense that would justify all of this colonial prejudicial behaviour – not only of the military-like forces involved, but also of every member of the B. C. government! And any judge who agrees with the charges needs to be re-educated – or even fired!! NONE of this is done in the names of any justice-minded, peaceful Canadian!!
Thank you Judy Wilson for your thoughtful expression of TRUTH and INTELLECT! I fully agree, and have for life. However, this specific Colonial Non-think Madness cements upon my mind the DISGUST and ABHORRENCE I have felt towards colonials and governments pre-conceived belief of superiority and justifiable treatment of authentic land-keepers…Indigenous Peoples. It is proof positive of how very insignificant we are!
The Federal government and a small “p” premier Eby speak with forked-tongues and self gain. Name changing does not change character! The C-IRG are, and will remain THUGS thriving on thuggery! It’s a builtin mindset.
The Indigenous People? I stand up with and for!!
I ask, “Where are others who feel the same?” Speak up! Or prepare for continuing human stupidity.
Thank You Judy Wilson.
My profound appreciation to Dogwood and Kai for pushing…OUT THERE!
The government support of the CRU is outrageous but not surprising. It is one of the reasons that I left the NDP some years ago. For a party that used to be the victim of RCMP excesses, now the NDP is enabling and funding more oppression of the land defenders. It is to weep for.
In government, the NDP is acting like all the other parties. Perhaps it is a consequence of having power. But the LNG fraud is understandable. The NDP was never and environmental party. The Rip and Ship philosophy is imbedded in its history. Now it is just another obstacle to the planet.
The thugs under the name of authority, and the officials who authorized the brutality (that is police and government officials) need to be fined and jailed , more than just a half- hearted, not sincere, so-called ” apology “.
When will “our” governments listen to “our” justice systems or is it the reverse, and we’ve been brainwashed to think the systems are ok?
Reading this, I’m heartbroken—and FURIOUS. And I also have an honest question:
Is the NDP better than BC United? And if so, how? How much better?
Because I’m starting to think the BC environmental movement needs to explicitly advocate voting Green. I understand that this will make BC United win. I understand the logic of voting for the lesser evil in a first past the post system. If the NDP is significantly less evil than United, it could be worth voting NDP to stop United. But if the NDP is barely better, than we should vote Green. If the NDP loses because a lot of people vote Green, the next NDP government is likely to get better. If the NDP wins because we keep voting for it, it will keep doing what it’s doing.
Politicians do things either because they want to, or because they have to. The NDP wants to trample Indigenous rights to produce as much gas as possible and sell it to the highest bidder. If we protest but vote NDP, we’re saying “we don’t like you’re policies but we’ll vote for you anyway.” As long as that’s our message, the NDP won’t change. If they’re a lot better than United—that may be the best we can do. If they’re only a little better than United, we’ll help the environment and Indigenous rights more in the long run by voting Green, having the NDP lose to United, and having the next NDP government be better.
And we have that power. Our movement isn’t strong enough to make the Green party win. It IS strong enough to make the NDP lose. The truth is that the NDP needs people appalled by police oppression to vote for it. The NDP needs people who believe in Indigenous rights to vote for it. The NDP needs people who want to save old-growth forests to vote for it. The NDP needs people who are anti-gas to vote for it. If these people voted Green, that would be enough to make the NDP lose.
If we voted that way, we would tell the NDP that they’re not allowed to govern if they do what they’re doing. And then—the next NDP government would probably be a lot better, because they would HAVE to be if they wanted to implement any policy at all. In the meantime, we’d have a spell of BC United—but how much worse is that than what we already have? Especially because if the NDP lost from a lot of people voting Green, private investors would begin to think that a future government would shut down their projects, and re-consider fossil fuels? If United truly is a LOT worse than the NDP, it might be worth voting NDP still. If United is only a little bit worse, then voting Green to make the NDP better is a lot more ‘strategic’ than voting NDP to stop United.
Right on Sam! i vote green and have since, the parties birth, every election. i vote green not as a protest or strategic possibility, but because i agree with the platform and policies of the Green Party. i believe Greens are best suited to lead this province onto a different, more inclusive and “earth friendly” path. love, mg
Yes! I’m from Alberta living in a safe NDP seat provincially and a safe Conservative seat federally, so my Green vote does nothing. But I do it anyway.
Yes. Vote out the NDP.
I understand the frustration and anger with NDP’s failures , however a vote for the United party is for all out resource depletion, further gutting of social services, further support of big business ( in the name of “fighting inflation”), choosing short term development over indigenous rights and as you so rightly said – if the United is truly a Lot worse than NDP – it might be worth voting NDP. I was crossing police lines at Fairy Creek and saw some of their brutality there. I also vote Green and campaign for Green candidates – and I believe we need to be strategic in going all out in the ridings where a GREEN candidate can win. There are some, and as we saw- the NDP was open to forming an alliance with Greens when they had to – prior to this last election. That is where our voices CAN make a difference. I do not believe that voting for United would bring anything but more grief to this province. It will be seen as support for their policies and not a turning away from NDP over their implementation of their values. So I encourage all who are sickened and angry over this to both make their voices heard to the NDP AND look for how you may be able to support a win for a Green candidate in the next election. There are two rising waves in this country ( and the world) – and it is critical now to put our energy into the one where we can see a future that supports our values…even if it rocky and foggy and actions like we read here make us feel anger and disgust and we are left thinking how could this be ? However – if the other wave rises and is in power , the anger and disgust we feel over the horrid behavior in this story will be an everyday event. So please don’t give up and throw away a live able future to make a point to the NDP! Take action in any way you can.
This is outrageous! I’m now rethinking my support for the NDP. Shame on Eby and the rest of this government. You won’t get my vote.
I’m embarrassed and ashamed of how we’re treating our indigenous communities.
The thugs (police and other officials who authorized the violence and civil rights violations of the First Nations people’s) need to be charged and jailed as other criminals are, Not just only as apology that isn’t even sincere.
YES !
I put an official request for information to the RCMP about C-IRG on Dec 7, 2019 after witnessing their abuses with my own eyes on the Morice Forest Rd and later in Hazelton. I asked the Surrey office which directed me to the RCMP website where I found just about nothing in the 2 lines posted there. I requested information on their mandate, budget and records of activities. After 3 1/2 yrs in Sept 2022, they replied they could not find anything! I put a complaint with the Information Office Commissioner in Nov 2022 and only a few weeks ago, more than a year later, have I been assigned an investigator. This story breaks my heart and certainly puts a black eye on our police system, the BC government and the hypocrisy of our local elected officials. Nathan Cullen was fully aware of what was going on and is now part of a cabinet which voted for continuous funding of this violent unit. He does not bother replying to my e-mails about his position. Everybody should put him on the spot and ask him all those inconvenient questions. In my opinion sadly the same applies to Taylor Bachdach.
The C-IRG or CRU as they’ve been rebranded are the publically paid police force of the resource extractive industries in BC. Period. This means they do the bidding of those industries to remove those who block access BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY (as judged by the industries) . This theft of resources must be ended, these brutalizers brought to justice, rule of law, eh?
We can all see that “rule of law” means laws for those that rule. SHAMESHAMESHAME! i will sign off, angry and disgusted….. mg
Yeah Vernon, so much for “reconciliation” eh? i say reconciliation, too ambiguous; land back, oh yeah.
Thank you dogwood! Reporting these critical issues is essential services. CRU IS NOT! David Eby has become a great fake, and fork tongue like the rest of kkkanada’s leaders. None of the political parties of today are actually supporting indigenous peoples with reconciliation at the forefront of their actions. If this is what justice and reconciliation look like from a non-indigenous perspective then no wonder the state is confused and out of order, there is no peace within. I AM ASHAMED OF THE MANY INDIGENOUS NATIONS WHO ARE NOT DOING OR SAYING SOMETHING about kkkanada’s continued INDIFFERENCE toward indigenous peoples. #canadahasnohonor.
This is important news. Did any mainstream outlets cover it?
I think every concept you put up in your post is strong and will undoubtedly be implemented. Still, the posts are too brief for inexperienced readers. Would you kindly extend them a little bit from now on? I appreciate the post.
By chance caught Alex Olsen the Green MLA talking about this issue on the Legislature channel and when I contacted them they sent me the link to this article by email. Bad stuff RCMP should not act this way.