Vancouver Police arrested 10 climate protesters after they refused to leave the Burrard Bridge despite police requests and warnings.
Police said they were forced to arrest these people for obstruction of justice between 10 and 11 pm on Monday evening.
“The protest impacting the Burrard Bridge has ended. The protest was peaceful with no major incidents until the arrest,” Vancouver Police Department said.
Two-way traffic has now resumed on the Burrard Bridge. The bridge was shut down by activists from Extinction Rebellion protesting against what they call “inaction” on climate change.
Extinction Rebellion, or XR, has its origins in the UK. It calls for a world-wide rebellion with plans to mobilise people to take direct action and provoke a national debate on climate change. It demands that the governments reduce carbon emissions by 2025. The group also aims to set up national assemblies of citizens to replace “corrupt political institutions”.
Protesters gathered on the Burrard Bridge early morning on Monday and were there until 11:30 pm. As planned, they turned the bridge into a “hub for climate discourse, musical performances, and family-friendly festivities”.
The group is planning a XR General Assembly at Grandview Church on October 29. The group insists they are not violent. “WE ARE NON VIOLENT. Anyone wishing to behave differently does not represent us and we do not welcome or condone violence of any kind. Peaceful Civil Disobedience is proven to be more effective,” the group said.
The group also shut down the Bloor Viaduct in Toronto and coordinated demonstrations in Halifax, Victoria and Edmonton as part of the International Week of Rebellion which began on October 7. The XR members will protest climate inaction in cities across the world.
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