Photojournalist’s arrest at B.C. pipeline standoff weakens democracy, lawyer argues in civil trial

A civil trial launched by The Narwhal and a photojournalist against the RCMP began with both sides fighting over whether her high-profile arrest at the 2021 Wet’suwet’en pipeline standoff was part of a concerted campaign to limit press freedom.

Amber Bracken and the British Columbia-based news outlet are seeking a declaration that her detention at a remote protest camp against the Coastal GasLink pipeline in the northwestern part of the province violated her and her employer’s constitutional rights to freedom of the press.