Tensions between Vancouver subway workers and old-growth protesters peaked on Thursday (April 21st) morning.
A video taken on the Ironmen’s Memorial Bridge shortly after 7 a.m. shows angry drivers pulling protesters out of their way. This was the 10th blockade by Save Old Growth on the Vancouver subway highway in April.
The group has been carrying out periodic blockades in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo and Revelstoke since January, with the only request being for BC to stop cutting down old trees.
He is said to know that his actions are frustrating for travelers, but he believes creating noticeable disturbances is the only way to get the province to do something.
However, if the collision on Thursday morning was a sign, the drivers had had enough.
Interruption – The Trans-Canadian Highway is blocked by Save Old Growth. People were brutally attacked by angry travelers and remained calm and non-violent during the trial. pic.twitter.com/WpY8eUrVXw
– Keep the old growth (@saveoldgrowth) April 21, 2022
“I have to get to work,” a passenger was heard saying in a video posted on Save Old Growth’s Twitter page.
“There are bigger problems here,” a protester said.
Several men are seen grabbing protesters by their shirts, vests and backpacks and dragging them along the sidewalk. The protesters did not respond to the video, but got up and returned to their blockaded positions.
Towards the end, a driver is heard saying, “Brother, do you want to die, brother?”
Protesters responded: “We will all die if we do not do something.”
Shortly afterwards, police officers entered the scene and the video ended.
The Vancouver Police Department said there were six protesters. It arrested a 24-year-old woman on charges of mischief and intimidation of someone on the road.
The VPD says the protesters disrupted morning traffic and caused a minor car collision with their blockade.
Across the province, 84 members of Save Old Growth have been arrested since January. Two members have been on hunger strike since early April.
READ ALSO: The head of Extinction Rebellion announces a hunger strike over the export of logs
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