Straight Talk

Vancouver police arrest Extinction Rebellion protesters; two-way vehicle traffic resumes on Burrard Bridge

by Charlie Smith on October 7th, 2019 at 11:33 PM
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      The environmental party on the Burrard Bridge continued well into the evening.

      But around 10 p.m., Vancouver police moved in and issued a 10-minute warning.

      They then arrested Extinction Rebellion activists who decided to remain on the road as their supporters stood by on the sidewalk.

      Ten people were arrested. Their bodies were limp as they were taken away by police.

      The VPD has since since announced over Twitter that the Burrard Bridge is now open in both directions.

      It was Extinction Rebellion's first major direct action in Vancouver.

      The demonstrators began blocking traffic on the bridge just after 8:30 a.m. and remained there throughout the day.

      The bridge protest was launched as part of an "International Week of Rebellion" in more than 60 cities around the world.

      Similar demonstrations took place today in Halifax, Edmonton, Victoria, and Toronto.

      Extinction Rebellion has three demands:

      1. Governments must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions [including the media] to communicate the urgency for change.

      2. Governments must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.

      3. Government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens' Assembly on climate and ecological justice.

      Extinction Rebellion was founded last year in the U.K. by former organic farmer Roger Hallam and former scientist Gail Bradbrook.

      It has since grown into a decentralized global network of activists who engage in peaceful civil disobedience to push for immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

      Among the protesters on the Burrard Bridge today was Yvonne Hanson, the NDP candidate in Vancouver Granville.

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