Update: For more video footage of the events discussed in this story, see user’s comments posted in response to, Students allege RCMP brutality at UBC.

A UBC Alma Mater Society executive has joined others in criticizing the behaviour of RCMP officers in shutting down a protest near the UBC bus loop late Friday night. In the past, some UBC higher-ups have been known to refer to the UBC bus loop as "Little Budapest", which is a snide attack on the appearance of all those buses at the centre of the campus. Students, however, object to an underground bus loop, which could end up resembling something like Lonsdale Quay. Here's the latest news release, which calls for a public inquiry:

TO ALL NEWS EDITORS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UBC STUDENTS DEMAND PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO MASS ARRESTS AT PEACEFUL PROTEST

VANCOUVER, April 5th, 2008- Outraged UBC students are calling for a public inquiry into the behaviour of the RCMP and UBC Campus Security that resulted in mass arrests at a musical concert against commercial development at UBC.

According to AMS Students Society of UBC VP-Admin Tristan Markle "The event, KnollAid 2.0, was an awareness-raising musical concert against the planned construction of an underground bus loop and the commercialization of the centre of campus. Since the outset, students have been outraged at the lack of meaningful consultation and undemocratic actions of the administration in this development. The focus of this concert was the grassy knoll- a centre of social life at UBC- that is slated for destruction by the UBC administration."

According to UBC Students for Democratic Society member and eye witness to the arrests Steven Klein "As the event wound down, Campus Security, the RCMP, and Fire Department arrived and successfully put out a bonfire that had been created by some participants. Campus Security and the RCMP arrested two individuals for allegedly interfering with the firefighters.

Students peacefully protested what they believed to be wrongful arrests
and convinced the police to release one student, although the second
student remained detained."

"Over the course of the next two hours, well after the original situation
with the bonfire was under control, over 18 police vehicles and 30 police officers- including from VPD, Richmond RCMP, and Transit Police- arrived.

These reinforcements verbally threatened to use police dogs and tasers on the peaceful protestors. They also indiscriminately arrested many bystanders, including an individual who stumbled upon the scene while biking home. One individual was handcuffed and detained immediately after giving an interview with CBC news. All of us observers were shocked at the confrontational attitude and brutal tactics of the police," further states Klein.

According to UBC student Margart Orlowski "We are deeply disturbed that the RCMP is distorting the timeline of events and lying in order to cover up their behaviour. RCMP spokespeople are falsely claiming that police backup was called because they were unable to put out the bonfire, that the situation was dangerous and violent, and that the RCMP issued multiple verbal warnings. In fact, the additional RCMP detachments were called well after the bonfire was under control and they only issued one verbal warning before indiscriminately arresting students, including many uninvolved bystanders.

Only a public inquiry can establish why the RCMP is distorting these events. We are also demanding that the UBC administration initiate an internal inquiry into the behaviour of Campus Security, who were witnessed using force while assisting in the arrest of at least two
students."