RCMP have arrested the 71-year-old man who climbed up a tree to protest the Trans Mountain pipeline.
Terry Christenson rappelled down from the tree inside the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby and was arrested on Tuesday afternoon, after spending nearly 34 hours mid-air, the environmental group Stand.Earth said.
Hour 32. Looks like they’re almost here. Some good climbing technique. pic.twitter.com/yIlVS4WmTm
— protestinggrandpa (@grandpa_protest) April 30, 2019
The RCMP said it brought in the Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team for their experience in high-angle rescues to make sure the man was arrested safely arrested.
This is the second time Christenson has violated a court-ordered injunction not to interfere with terminal operations.
READ MORE: Protester climbs into tree at Trans Mountain pipeline terminal in B.C.
He was arrested for a similar protest in Burnaby in March 2018, when he stayed in a tree for more than 16 hours as part of a week of action to slow pipeline construction ahead of a tree-clearing deadline.
“I hope Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can see how strongly many of us will continue to oppose this pipeline,” Christenson said in a statement.
“The Trans Mountain pipeline is not in the national interest – what’s really in the national interest is a safe future for our grandchildren, for the climate, and for all of Canada.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, has said the pipeline is in the national interest and is needed to build a strong economy, and that it can be built in an environmentally conscious way.
Christenson will be held in custody until a court appearance on Wednesday morning in Vancouver.
joti.grewal@bpdigital.ca
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