Protesters blocked traffic on Douglas Street across from Mayfair Mall this morning as they continue to call for a ban on old-growth logging in British Columbia.
In a tweet, VicPD say three people who are a part of the Save Old Growth protest were arrested for blocking rush hour traffic on Monday morning.
The group, which carried out similar protests throughout January, is calling on the provincial government to pass legislation that would immediately end all old-growth logging in the province.
“Following the first wave of disruptions in January, which resulted in 54 arrests, Save Old Growth had paused to give the government time to pass legislation however there has been no action or statement from the government and so disruption of the highway will resume at an escalated intensity, starting this morning,” the group said in a statement.
https://twitter.com/saveoldgrowth/status/1511007757511524366?s=20&t=dm6ZdFQWielgkQ1Zu7Pv2g
In conjunction with the morning protest in Victoria, members from the same group also blocked traffic on the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge in Vancouver, resulting in four arrests.
The protest began at around 8 a.m. this morning, according to a tweet by VicPD. Video from the scene shows multiple police officers arriving shortly after and arresting those blocking commuters. Traffic started moving just before 8:30 a.m.
According to VicPD, three women were arrested for mischief for blocking the highway and were later released with a court date.
“At approximately 8 a.m. this morning protesters entered the highway and blocked southbound traffic on Douglas Street at Finlayson Street. VicPD Patrol officers responded and worked to resolve the incident safely,” VicPD said in a media statement.
“Traffic in the area of Douglas and Finlayson streets was disrupted during the incident.”
3 people blocked the Trans-Canada Highway and were arrested in #Victoria.
What we do in the next 2-3 years will determine the future of humanity. Currently our government is not doing enough to protect our future and so the people must act.#SaveOldGrowth pic.twitter.com/448WT7zBOn
— Save Old Growth (@saveoldgrowth) April 4, 2022
According to the group, disruptions took place in Vancouver, Victoria, and Nanaimo.
“On our current path, we are looking at the destruction of our society, the economy and the loss of many many more lives, right here in BC, in the next 10 to 20 years. The government has known this for decades and done nothing to safeguard our future,” said Julia, a spokesperson for Save Old Growth.
It’s unclear if additional protests are planned.
