B.C. drivers drag Save Old Growth protestors after demonstrators block traffic

Video footage captured Thursday morning shows Save Old Growth protestors clashing with B.C. commuters when some drivers grabbed and pulled demonstrators off the road they were blocking.

A video shared by one of the protestors shows several members of the Save Old Growth group sitting at the entrance of the Iron Workers Bridge, blocking cars in southbound lanes just after 7 a.m. Several drivers then left their cars, attempting to drag protestors out of the way during the rush-hour traffic.

The video capturing the tense moments has triggered questions surrounding the actions of the drivers.

Zain Haq is the co-founder of Save Old Growth, which advocates against logging in the province’s old growth forests. He says demonstrators are aware people will get angry during these kinds of protests, and physical violence could ensue. Haq says protestors are prepared for how the public could react when they disrupt people’s day-to-day routines “transgressively and non-violently.”

The Iron Workers Bridge incident is the latest in a string of demonstrations staged by Save Old Growth.

In the video, Vancouver police officers can be seen arriving on the bridge. Haq says he’s disappointed that from what he’s heard, police did not address the actions of the people who were dragging the demonstrators.

Police say a 24-year-old woman was arrested and taken to jail on charges of mischief and intimidation on a roadway.

The VPD did not comment on the commuters’ involvement. Instead, Cst. Tania Visintin said in a statement, “Demonstrators who block vital pieces of infrastructure, like bridges and major intersections, put themselves in danger and create a safety risk for the rest of the public.”

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• Indigenous leaders concerned over B.C. government’s old-growth deferral process

• B.C. Appeal Court extends injunction against protests at Fairy Creek

• Despite criticism, B.C.’s old growth logging plan a good start: expert

On Thursday, B.C Premier John Horgan said blocking roadways is not the way to get the public on your side.

“Their goal is to provoke anger from citizens. That’s not how you affect change in a civil society,” he said.

“I’m profoundly disappointed this small group of people are so self-absorbed and feel they can intrude upon the rights of other British Columbians, and I hope there will be significant consequences for their actions.” 

The group has rallied several times on highways and bridges in recent weeks, often completely shutting down routes.

Haq maintains the goal is to get their message out in a non-violent way.

“We have regular non-violence training, so people on the road have engaged in role play on how to deal with an angry driver. When they’ve been on the road they are cool and calm since they are being trained in that way,” Haq says.

Police say in addition to disrupting rush-hour traffic, the incident also caused a minor car collision.