A rally by Indigenous youth is planned at the steps of the B.C. legislature for Tuesday (February 11) morning.

The gathering is to protest the actions of the RCMP against Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and their supporters in north-central B.C., where blockades and a camp have been erected to bar pipeline construction crews from traditional territories.

The RCMP, in enforcing a court injunction obtained by pipeline builder Coastal GasLink, last week set up an exclusion zone, arrested protesters at a checkpoint on a service road, and today (February 10) raided the Unist'ot'en Camp and healing centre, arresting several matriarchs as they conducted a ceremony honouring missing and murdered Indigenous girls and women.

A February 10 Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs news release said the rally is called for 9 a.m. at the legislature steps, where speakers will address the RCMP actions. "They will also address the lands and waters at stake, and the responsibilities and roles of the Province."

The rally coincides with the return of MLAs for the opening of the legislature's spring session and the speech from the throne. The government is set to table its new budget a week later, on February 18.

Indigenous youth have been protesting and occupying the legislature steps since February 6. They have called on B.C.'s leaders to schedule new talks with the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs after talks broke down on February 4, just before RCMP enforced the injunction.

Other protest actions in Vancouver and Delta, B.C., in support of the hereditary chiefs resulted in almost 50 arrests today.

A news conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the same location that day.