Mi’kmaq Anti-Fracking Update: Two Warriors Released on Bail, Four Others Remain in Jail

Bail hearings for 3 others continue; 1 denied bail Thursday

Two of six pro­test­ers who were held in cus­tody fol­low­ing the shale-gas protest con­fronta­tion near Rex­ton, N.B., last week have been released on bail.

Jason Augus­tine and David Maze­rolle were released on a num­ber of con­di­tions and will be back in court next month to enter a plea. The pair face var­i­ous charges, includ­ing mis­chief, unlaw­ful con­fine­ment, escap­ing law­ful cus­tody, obstruct­ing a peace offi­cer and assault­ing a peace offi­cer.

Thurs­day anoth­er pro­test­er, Coady Stevens, was denied bail. He remains in cus­tody and is to enter a plea on Novem­ber 1.

The six men — Stevens, Augus­tine, Maze­rolle, Aaron Fran­cis, Ger­main Junior Breau, and James Sylvester Pic­tou — face 37 charges in all.

Bail hear­ings are con­tin­u­ing for the oth­er three jailed pro­test­ers. They’ve been in cus­tody since their arrest eight days ago.

The six were among 40 peo­ple arrest­ed when RCMP broke up a weeks-long protest against shale gas explo­ration on Route 134 in Rex­ton. The pro­test­ers were pre­vent­ing SWN from access­ing seis­mic-test­ing vehi­cles and equip­ment in its com­pound in the area. The explo­ration com­pa­ny had obtained a court injunc­tion order­ing that it be allowed access to its vehi­cles and be allowed to car­ry out explo­ration work with­out harass­ment.

‘No means no’

After being released, Augus­tine hugged his wife and moth­er out­side the Monc­ton Law Courts.

“It’s good to be out,” he said. “It’s not good to see my bros that are still in there be incar­cer­at­ed for some­thing that we believe is right to save.”

Augus­tine said he and his fel­low war­riors were arrest­ed try­ing to save the province from the dan­gers of shale gas devel­op­ment.

“We are there for our Moth­er Earth. We’re not there to uphold pol­i­tics. Pol­i­tics this, pol­i­tics that. No way. Just say no, and no means no.”

Abo­rig­i­nal lead­ers have not said they are absolute­ly against shale gas devel­op­ment, how­ev­er.

“They’re not say­ing no to all resource devel­op­ment,” Assem­bly of First Nations Nation­al Chief Shawn Atleo said dur­ing a vis­it to Elsi­pog­tog First Nation on Thurs­day. “Just say­ing not yes at all costs.”

Mean­while, Elis­pog­tog Chief Aaron Sock said the issue of resource devel­op­ment should be dealt with after going to court to deal with abo­rig­i­nal land claims.

Augus­tine said his opin­ion hasn’t changed.

“Shawn Atleo and Aaron Sock have to under­stand — this is a Mi’kmaq ter­ri­to­ry land. You can’t destroy our Mi’kmaq ter­ri­to­ry land, no mat­ter how much peo­ple are try­ing.”