Politicians are denouncing what police have called a violent confrontation in separate attacks against officers and employees at a construction site for a natural gas pipeline being built across northern British Columbia.

Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino called the allegations of violence at the Coastal GasLink site and on a forestry road “disturbing.”

“I’m deeply concerned to hear reports of violent confrontations at the work site including the injury of an RCMP officer,” he said Friday in Ottawa.

“And I want to make it clear that no matter what your cause, or your views are, on any subject matter, there is never any justification for violence toward your fellow Canadians. And that obviously includes the members of the RCMP and other members who work in our law enforcement.”

On Thursday, RCMP said they were called to a Coastal GasLink construction site following reports of an attack against security guards and damaged property. Before getting there, officers were stopped on the road by a fire where a group allegedly threw smoke bombs and flaming sticks, injuring the officer, police said in a statement.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Chris Manseau said Friday that the investigation is ongoing and there were no updates.

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