Enbridge protesters shut down Hamilton court hearing, several detained
A number of Enbridge pipeline opponents were taken into police custody Wednesday after a court hearing into trespass charges erupted into scuffles between court security and protesters.
The court appearance for 13 people charged after an occupation of the company's Westover pumping station in late June was abruptly halted when court security moved in to stop supporters inside the courtroom from disrupting the proceeding with shouts and other sounds.
"We are hoping that many people will be released today but we don't have firm details," Wolf Chrapko, a spokesperson for the group, said Wednesday evening.
The dramatic events started when an officer asked a women sitting in the second row to leave the courtroom after she repeatedly snapped fingers and clicked tongues. The officer had previously warned the woman to stop her behaviours.
On her way out, the woman said she didn't "want to be here in the first place" and swore and coughed loudly.
Protesters and their friends followed the woman as she was escorted by the officer out of the courtroom. She was led into a room with at least one officer.
The situation quickly escalated when protesters tried to push the door open while the officers tried to close it. A number of scuffles broke out in the hallway. Some protesters fell on the floor and refused to get up....
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