The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) — the federal agency responsible for overseeing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) — has found that officers from the RCMP’s Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG, since renamed the Critical Response Unit (CRU-BC)) violated the constitutional rights of activists protesting the logging of old-growth forest in the Fairy Creek watershed, British Columbia. The investigation was announced in March last year, with the findings published on September 11 in the CRCC’s initial summary of its final report. The CRU-BC is a secretive, tactical unit of the British Columbia RCMP created to protect extractive capital, serving as a security force for corporations. Indigenous land defenders call them “Indian fighters” and “oil and gas mercenaries”. Its officers have been primarily deployed to dismantle blockades — using helicopters, police dogs and drones — at sites of extractive capital, such as fossil fuel pipelines and logging areas.

* The CRU-BC (Conservation Officer Response Unit) were deployed to enforce a court injunction that made it illegal to block logging operations. * They arrested more than 1000 people during protests spanning over a few years. **Detailed Text:**

The Conservation Officer Response Unit (CRU-BC) played a significant role in the ongoing conflict surrounding logging operations in Fairy Creek, British Columbia.

This incident sparked outrage and calls for police reform. The video footage showed the hiker, who was not posing a threat, being apprehended by officers for allegedly violating a bylaw. The bylaw, which was later deemed unconstitutional, was vague and overly broad, allowing for the arrest of anyone on a public road.

This complaint, filed on [Date], was the culmination of a long-standing dispute between the man and the RCMP. The man, who is a [Occupation], had been protesting against the RCMP’s presence in [Location] for [Number] years. He claims that the RCMP’s presence has negatively impacted his livelihood and his ability to live peacefully in his community.

This symbol is often used to express support for law enforcement, but it has been co-opted by far-right groups to promote their own agendas. The CRCC also found that the arrest was part of a larger pattern of police brutality and racial profiling. The CRCC has documented numerous instances of police brutality and racial profiling in Canada, and this arrest is consistent with their findings.

The CRCC condemned the officer’s actions, which were deemed inappropriate and unprofessional. This was the first time the CRCC had condemned an officer’s actions in this manner. The actions of the officer have been met with widespread condemnation from the public and have been the subject of numerous news articles.

The CRU-BC has since expanded its scope of operations, now policing Palestine solidarity movements and actions. The unit remains a secretive one — little is known about its internal operations. Hopefully, CRCC reports will shine more light on this publicly funded security force for capital and provide more supporting materials for Indigenous communities and anti-capitalist organisers, such as Abolish C-IRG, that are mobilising to shut down the unit.