4 people arrested after Wet'suwet'en blockade protest: Hamilton police

Four people have been arrested, police say, who occupied the rail tracks near Bayview Junction in Hamilton in a Wet'suwet'en solidarity protest earlier this week.

The demonstration, organized by a local anarchist collective, was in response to Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) moving to end a blockade by the Mohawks of Tyendinaga, of a rail line near Belleville, Ont. on Monday.

During the protest, as many as 30 people set fires on the railway lines and covered the tracks with ropes and signs. The protesters are supporting Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs in opposition of building the $6-billion Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline.

The blockade caused Metrolinx to stop running service at West Harbour GO, Hamilton GO, St. Catharines GO and Niagara Falls GO stations, in addition to disrupting CN and CP rail service.

The protestors left peacefully on Tuesday evening after receiving multiple court injunctions.

The four people arrested, all from Hamilton, face four mischief charges each. Three of them have been charged before.

One of the people charged, a woman, was also charged last year in connection with placing signs on the mayor's lawn. One of the men was charged with assault in relation to violence at the Hamilton Pride festival last June. And another was charged last August with causing a disturbance as part of an anti-yellow vest demonstration.

The local anarchist group responsible for the demonstration say the arrests mark a "tipping point" by police.

"If others are targeted and do get arrested – know that we have your back ... see you at the next blockade," they wrote on their blog.

A blockade on Highway 6 in Caledonia continues.