Indigenous woman says men attacked protest camp

RCMP are investigating after an Indigenous woman reported that several men stormed into a protest encampment and drove a truck into her home. Kanahus Manuel is a Secwepemc woman who is part of Tiny House Warriors, a group that has set up a village of five mobile miniature homes on unceded land to protest the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline and the construction of nearby work camps, sometimes referred to as “man camps.”

They have been on the site since July 2018 and live there full time, on what is traditional Secwepemcúl ecw land near Blue River, about two and a half hours northeast of Kamloops, B.C. The Secwepemc, also known as Shuswap people, traditionally reside on a large territory in the interior of B.C.

About 10:45, Sunday night, the woman — whose legal name is Amanda Soper but who goes by the name Manuel — alleges a group of men driving all-terrain vehicles plowed through the wood barricade that surrounds the homes and began yelling at her.

The men did not identify themselves but let her know they were supporters of the oil and gas industry. The vehicles had Alberta licence plates, according to Manuel.

According to Manuel, the scene turned violent when one of the men assaulted a village resident who demanded that they leave.

She said that’s when one of the men went into her truck, where the keys were still in the ignition and drove into her home. Manuel said a hitch on the corner of the trailer prevented the truck from causing serious damage, but she still felt the impact of the collision while she was inside.

RCMP said the Clearwater, B.C., detachment is investigating the incident but could not provide further comment.