Occupy Vancouver activists arrested after port protest
Police say protesters released hours later without charges
CBC News
Posted: Dec 12, 2011 8:24 AM PT
Last Updated: Dec 12, 2011 9:09 PM PT
The protesters planned to march peacefully to the Port of Vancouver. (Steve Lus/CBC)
Five protesters were arrested Monday for breach of the peace in two separate incidents during an "Occupy The Ports" protest in Vancouver, police say.
Protesters spent much of the day at Vancouver port entrances, with a smaller group ending their day protesting outside the Vancouver Jail in the 200 block East Cordova Street.
Two protesters were arrested for disrupting traffic in the 300 block Clark Drive and three others were arrested later one block away after being asked to leave the roadway for their safety, Const. Lindsey Houghton said.
Houghton said all five were released from custody at about 6 p.m. and no criminal charges have been laid.
A rally had started at noon at Callister Park near the Pacific National Exhibition, at the corner of Renfrew and Hastings streets and then moved to the Port of Vancouver.
The demonstration was part of a West Coast protest ranging from Alaska to California.
Murray Scadeng, chair of the B.C. Trucking Association, said the protest is missing the mark.
Protesters blocked access to the port early Monday morning. Steve Lus/CBC"The impact to truck drivers who are generally owners-operators accessing the port would certainly be part of the 99 per cent that they purport to represent, and they will immediately lose money," he said.
"They're generally self-employed, so any day lost affects them immediately."
Members of the movement said they plan to blockade the New Brighton entrance to the docks Monday afternoon, but that protest had not materialized as of 12 p.m. PT.
On Vancouver Island, protesters in Victoria said they planned to target BC Ferries terminals in Nanaimo, but no action was taken.
Organizers said BC Ferries was being targeted because of rate hikes, saying fares are unaffordable for 99 per cent of the population.
The protests come just days after the B.C. Supreme Court issued an injunction ordering an end to the Occupy Nanaimo encampment at Diana Krall Plaza in the city's downtown core.
With files from The Canadian PressShare Tools
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