A Judge Bans Civil Disobedience Training on State Land

Gaspésie - Learning to Disobey While Respecting the Law - A Judge Bans Training at the Opposition Camp at Junex

My translation of article of Alexandre Shields published in Le Devoir May 26 2018

The opponents of the Junex oil project in the Gaspésie peninsula do not have the right to give a training camp on civil disobedience on the public land they are now occupying. A Superior court judge has accepted the request for injuction presented by the Quebec Government, admitting that the government could be harmed seriously and irreperably if such a camp would come to be.

In a ruling Thursday evening, judge MIchel Beaupré has "banned anybody occupying illegally and without authorisation State land from having training camps about civil disobedience, or any other similar activity."

The judge thinks that having such a camp, that should have started Friday, could cause serious and irreperable prejudice for the Quebec government.

However, the court does not rule on the Couillard Governement`s request that demands that the opponents assembled around the group Environnement Vert-Plus, be kicked out of public land they are occupying for the past 9 months. This question will be debated during the debate on the basics of Quebec`s request, at an ulterior date not yet determined.

Also, Judge Beaupré adds that the right of the governement is "apparent" since the Energy and Natural Resources Minister Pierre Moreau has the right and powers of property over State land. But the opponents occupy this public property without the minister`s authorisation.

The court does not rule either on the question of the right of freedom of expression, the freedom of association and peaceful demonstration of citizens opposed to the oil industry`s installation in the Gaspésie. These questions will be debated later.

Reacting to the ruling, the spokesperson of Environnement Vert-Plus Pascal Bergeron, qualified the magistrate`s decision as a "gag rule". He says that the planned activities within the civil disobedience training are within freedom of expression , demonstration and peaceful association.

The opponents to oil exploitation intend to obey the injunction, the occupation of their camp is maintained, but the training planned on direct action against oil and gas installations will be held on sites near but not on state land.

The Quebec Government and Junex have not yet reacted to the ruling Friday. Junex has never answered the Thurdsay request for an interview with Le Devoir. The "River Camp" - "Camp de la Rivière", west of Gaspé, by route 198, has been built at the entrance of the access road to the Junex drilling sites for it`s Galt project. It is 3 km from the wells of the company.

The oil exploration project for which Junex has already asked for an exploration lease, could very well become the first oil extraction site in Quebec.

The exploration of this deposit that would need a maximum of 30 wells on 5 sites, could last more than 40 years, says Junex. But the project has not gone through the stage of environmental evaluation that could be done under the responsibility of a BAPE.