Granville Bridge reopens after protestors shut it down, calling for end to Gaza Strip conflict
Posted March 2, 2024 4:31 pm.
Last Updated March 2, 2024 5:35 pm.
The Granville Street Bridge has reopened after Vancouver police temporarily shut it down as hundreds of protestors rallied, waving flags and chanting for an end to the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
The protest blocked the bridge for about an hour.
After moving off the bridge, the protestors marched down Howe Street toward the Vancouver Art gallery.
Major congestion was still expected in the area as the traffic clears.
A protestor representing Palestinian youth who did not give her name tells CityNews they are calling for an immediate and total permanent ceasefire and an end to hostilities in the Gaza Strip.
“We don’t want to go back to business as usual. We want to make it clear to the City of Vancouver that their complicity in this ongoing genocide will not be tolerated,” she said. “And we as citizens living here will not be complicit in what’s happening back home in Palestine.”
On whether or not the upcoming six-week ceasefire, announced Saturday, is a hopeful development, the protestor said, “Six weeks is nothing.”
“We’re looking for permanent solutions,” she said. “That’s our goal. A ceasefire means a continuation of the blockade, continuing to oppress our siblings.”
And she says that until a permanent ceasefire is announced, the public in Vancouver can expect critical infrastructure shut-downs like this to continue.
“We’re going to keep this movement growing. We’re going to keep community-building, and we’re going to keep protesting until Palestine is free.”
With files from Cole Schisler.
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