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The latest on protests across Canada in support of anti-pipeline demonstrators

Feb 13, 2020 | 8:23 AM

Here is the latest news on protests across Canada over a natural-gas pipeline project in British Columbia:

Demonstrators in Victoria are promising to shut down all provincial government offices in that city on Friday as a show of solidarity with opponents of the Coastal GasLink pipeline project being built across traditional territories of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in northwestern British Columbia.

A social media post says the shutdown is being planned for between 8 a.m. and noon.

It calls on settlers and union members to “take responsibility for the colonial institutions causing violence against Wet’suwet’en people.”

On Tuesday, hundreds of people surrounded the B.C. legislature, preventing access to the building and forcing cancellation of some of the ceremonial events leading up to the reading of the throne speech.

That demonstration and other protests across Canada are in response to RCMP enforcement of a court injunction last week against Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and their supporters, who had been blocking construction of the pipeline.

Vancouver commuters are bracing for more disruptions today as protesters supporting Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs promise further actions.

Spokeswoman Natalie Knight says a gathering is planned for 9 a.m. in the Kitsilano neighbourhood of the city.

She says the group will then move to an undisclosed location.

A major intersection in Vancouver was blockaded for about 16 hours earlier this week and demonstrators also paraded through the downtown core Wednesday, blocking the main bridge into the city centre for part of the afternoon before dispersing for the night.

 

The Canadian Press