Activists Broke Into A Montreal Fuel Site & Climbed Up Towers (VIDEOS)
They're demanding the closure of a pipeline.
Collectif Antigone protestors in Montréal-Est.
A group of protestors broke into a fuel loading site in the port of Montreal demanding the closure of a pipeline that the activists say threatens freshwater resources in Quebec.
The Antigone collective, a group associated with Extinction Rebellion, has taken credit for the demonstration. In a statement shared with MTL Blog, it said 20 members are taking part, six of whom have scaled a loading tower. Six others have sequestered themselves in a concrete container at the site entrance, the group claims.
The pipeline in question, company Enbridge's Line 9, transports crude oil from Sarnia to Hamilton, Ontario (Line 9A) and from Hamilton to Montreal (Line 9B) via the North Shore and Laval. According to Enbridge, Line 9 can transport up to 300,000 barrels per day.
The collective says its goal is threefold: pressure stakeholders to create a plan to close the Line 9B pipeline, raise awareness of the pipeline's perceived threat to drinking water and force "an immediate reduction in the amount of oil flowing through the pipeline to prevent spills."
Activists are also calling for the installation of a leak-detection system and a "significant strengthening" of emergency plans should one occur.
"A leak from Line 9B would threaten the drinking water of millions of Quebecers," Antigone member Jacob Pirro said in a press release. The pipeline crosses the Ottawa River, the Rivière des Mille Îles and the Rivière des Prairies between Laval and Montreal.
"It is urgent to defend ourselves! What are we waiting for to stop these dangerous activities?"
On social media, Antigone posted videos of individuals who claim to be members of the demonstration in Montréal-Est.
"We've decided to stay here as long as possible in order to close Line 9B," one activist claiming to be in a shipping container says in a video.
The Montreal police described the Wednesday morning demonstration as "quiet." SPVM spokesperson Raphaël Bergeron said officers were at the site to monitor the situation.