Pipeline protesters hanging under Ironworkers Memorial Bridge

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Seven Greenpeace activists are dangling from the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge.

The environmental group calls this an “aerial bridge blockade.”

They say they’ve successfully blocked a tanker from leaving a nearby Kinder Morgan terminal and say they’re doing this to protest against the planned expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline.

“We’re here today to try to send the prime minister a message that there’s still time to make the right decision, to live up to his commitment to the climate, to Indigenous rights and reconciliation,” says Mike Hudema with Greenpeace.

He called NEWS 1130 while hanging from the bridge.

The climbers have been raising banners reading “Trudeau or Crudeau: Choose”, “Don’t bank on pipelines” and “Respect Indigenous Rights.”

Will George from the Tsleil Waututh First Nation is also there.

“There is a police boat underneath, waiting to greet these folks,” says Darren Grieve from the NEWS 1130 Air Patrol.

It’s not the first time the bridge has been the site of such protests.

“Not on a bridge and certainly not the Ironworkers,” says Grieve. “It seems to be the one they go for most of the time. That’s what’s going on here today.”

Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver was asked about the protest today. He says he understands why the activists are taking this action.

“So I understand that there are a lot of outstanding questions. I think the federal government has made a mistake in terms of what its done, in terms of bailing out Kinder Morgan.”

Weaver says it’s unfortunate, “we are where we are.”

The protesters plan to stay in their spots hanging from the bridge.

For now, the incident doesn’t appear to have any impact on traffic on the bridge itself.

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