Leonardo DiCaprio shows support for Wet’suwet’en land defenders in BC

Leonardo DiCaprio expressed his support for Wet’suwet’en land defenders on Twitter.

The actor and climate activist retweeted a video on Monday of a police raid posted by Gidimt’en Checkpoint.

“After setting up a blockade to protect their land, community, and sacred headwaters Wedzin Kwa from Coastal GasLink’s planned fracked gas pipeline, the Wet’suwet’en Nation has faced militarized raids from the RCMP. We must protect the rights of land defenders,” wrote DiCaprio.

After setting up a blockade to protect their land, community, and sacred headwaters Wedzin Kwa from Coastal GasLink’s planned fracked gas pipeline, the Wet’suwet’en Nation has faced militarized raids from the RCMP. We must protect the rights of land defenders. https://t.co/AK20TKtCSx

— Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) November 22, 2021

The tweet comes after two journalists were released three days after they were arrested while covering the RCMP’s enforcement of an injunction against protesters in northern BC.

In a statement released on Monday, the RCMP addressed the arrests stating that their expectation is that the media identify themselves as soon as possible in those situations, and that the two journalists “did not identify themselves at any point during this dialogue with police, which lasted over 60 minutes.”

However, The Narwhal co-founder Carol Linnitt said in a tweet that photojournalist Amber Bracken—who was on assignment for them—had been provided “with press passes, a formal letter of assignment and notified the RCMP that she was reporting on our behalf from within the injunction zone and none of that stopped them from arresting her.”

You might also like:
• Two journalists arrested by the RCMP at site of BC pipeline blockade
• Evacuation order rescinded for some residents of Abbotsford
• Fears or famine? Gas companies weigh in on fuel shortages in BC

DiCaprio has previously voiced support for the anti-pipeline movement in northern BC. In 2019, he urged his followers to sign a petition created by protesters at the Unist’oten camp.

RCMP made arrests at the Gidimt’en clan’s Coyote Camp blockade on Saturday.

The clan, one of five in the Wet’suwet’en Nation, has occupied a part of the site of the Coastal GasLink’s pipeline since September 25, halting the company’s plans to drill a tunnel for their natural gas pipeline under the Wedzin Kwa river.