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The RCMP say dozens of people were arrested after Molotov cocktails were thrown at officers and police vehicles torched Thursday when they began enforcing an injunction to end an ongoing demonstration against shale gas exploration in eastern New Brunswick.

“I’m just happy nobody got killed today,” said 36-year-old Lori Simon of the Elsipogtog (ell-see-book-took) First Nation.

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Simon went to survey the damage of burnt police cruisers after the protest in Rexton calmed down.

“My heart was aching. I just wanted to cry.”

Donald Sanipass, 34, hopped up on the hood of one of the police cars, saying he wasn’t surprised the situation escalated.

“I knew it was going to come to this because the government doesn’t want to listen to the people,” Sanipass said, who attended the scene with Simon. “They didn’t handle this right at all.”

Const. Jullie Rogers-Marsh said at least five RCMP vehicles were destroyed after they were set ablaze and at least one shot was fired by someone other than a police officer at the site of the protest.