UPDATE: 3:55 p.m.
Charges of mischief and assaults are being looked at after a protest at TRU in Kamloops today.
Kamloops RCMP arrested three people including, one female and two males, at a demonstration today at the at the Student Activity Centre at TRU.
Protestors were demonstrating against a panel appointed by the federal government to review the Trans Mountain pipeline.
“We were requested to attend when members of the campus security were assaulted,” Cpl. Jodi Shelkie says.
“As well, the protesters had allegedly damaged property by pouring paint over the sidewalk and walls outside of the Activity Centre. While charges have not been formally laid, an investigation of mischief and assault is underway.”
After the arrest of the three individuals, the other demonstrators left the area peacefully.
UPDATE: 1:45 p.m.
The TRU Student Activity Centre was vandalized with painted red handprints and paint was spilled outside the building, and three people were arrested on the campus today.
The protest is believed to have been in response to a meeting taking place inside the building related to the Trans Mountain Pipeline.
Matt Erichuk is a student on campus who witnessed one of the protesters being arrested just after 10 a.m.
“We just went on break, came outside and walked down the stairs and I heard shouting. There was a bunch of cop vehicles, and saw one lady get arrested,” he says.
As a precaution the school closed the Centre to students for the day.
It’s unclear if any charges will be laid as a result of the protest at this point.
ORIGINAL: 11:50 a.m.
Three protesters have been arrested outside TRU this morning, and access to part of the campus is restricted as a result of a protest.
Corporal Jodi Shelkie says Kamloops RCMP were “an impartial party” at a demonstration on campus before making those arrests this morning.
“We recognize that demonstrators have a right to lawful, peaceful and safe protests but at the same time, if they are committing a criminal offense, we have to step in and make arrests,” she said.
Shelkie wouldn’t comment right away on details of the arrests, or what the protest was about.
However, a social media post identified the people arrested as Indigenous demonstrators who oppose the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project.
A Trans Mountain roundtable consultation meeting is taking place at Thompson Rivers University today.
Shelkie says police were prepared for a protest today on the TRU campus.
It’s also unclear if the protestors who were arrested will be charged, but police will have more information later today.
Meanwhile, TRU tweeted that it is restricting access to the Student Activity Centre until 4:30 today due to the incident this morning.
They add there’s no public safety concerns at this point.
More to come…
-With files from Victor Kaisar
My twin sister Mayuk Manuel arrested at #transmountain pipeline roundtable meeting in Kamloops bc … meeting was organized by feds to push through fraudulent “phase III” Indigenous consultation! They is NO SECWEPEMC CONSENT for this bitumen pipeline BLOCKADE TRANS MOUNTAIN pic.twitter.com/HZIR48UlXO
— Kanahus Manuel (@KanahusFreedom) December 10, 2018
BREAKING NEWS: My sister Snutetkwe Manuel was just arrested by #RCMP at a #tmx Trans Mountain pipeline meeting organized by government of Canada! Feds hired retired Supreme Court judge to conduct fraudulent “phase III” indigenous consultatio NO COLLECTIVE SECWEPEMC CONSENT pic.twitter.com/iXQuKQIp4i
— Kanahus Manuel (@KanahusFreedom) December 10, 2018