UNIST’OT’EN CAMP— RCMP and hereditary chiefs, with media in tow, arrived at the Unist’ot’en camp about 65 kilometres outside of Houston, B.C., in a bid to find a peaceful solution to the conflict between police and the Wet’suwet’en nation.The group crossed the Unist’ot’en checkpoint shortly after 2:30 Wednesday and are currently in discussions at the camp’s healing lodge. As media waited for the results of the meeting, a camp supporter handed out glasses of water.“Do you guys know what you are drinking?” he asked. “This comes straight from the Wedzin Kwa River. This is what we’re fighting for.”The Unist’ot’en healing lodge houses dozens of people, including land defenders, camp supporters and those people here for healing. It is not covered by the court injuction enforced by police on Monday when they dismantled the Gidim’ten barricade and arrested 14 people, but the barbed-wire topped gate on the nearby bridge and the road behind it is.Camp supporters have been bracing for a police raid much like Monday’s, but the meeting with hereditary chiefs and police liaison officers could bring a peaceful resolution to the tense situation.Meanwhile, at least three people who were arrested by RCMP at the Gidim’ten checkpoint have been released from custody after promising to show up in court in February, abide the pipeline company’s injunction and to keep the peace, court records show.A fourth person, 72-year-old Carmen Nikal, was released Monday night, but it is unclear how many of the other 10 are still in custody. Hearings were scheduled to continue in a Prince George court on Wednesday afternoon.Nikal, who has been bringing her grandchildren to Wet’suwet’en territory for years to teach them about their ancestor’s land, was charged with civil contempt and promised to appear in court on Jan. 14. The RCMP made the arrests Monday a ...
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