In contrast with May Day protests in Seattle and Montreal that resulted in police clashes and significant property damage, violence in the Vancouver demonstration peaked with a small bonfire on Commercial Drive that was promptly extinguished by firefighters.
Vancouver police say there were no arrests and no injuries following Tuesday's largely-peaceful protest, which began in the early afternoon with a crowd of about 200 people rallying and marching through downtown.
The group eventually made its way to the east side, and had dwindled to about 60 people by 9:15 p.m. when participants began gathering items to set ablaze at the intersection of Charles Street and Commercial, said Const. Lindsey Houghton.
When protesters refused to leave, officers in riot gear arrived at the scene and forced them to disperse.
"The protesters eventually left and the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service moved in to extinguish the burning pile [of] wood, paper and other items," Houghton said in a statement.
It was a far cry from the scene that played out in Seattle, where businesses and vehicles were damaged during a full-on riot that saw protesters pepper sprayed by police.
A similar scene in Montreal ended with more than 100 people arrested: 75 for unlawful assembly, 34 for various criminal acts. Protesters there allegedly threw chunks of asphalt and sticks at police, whom they mocked by dangling donuts in front of them from makeshift fishing rods.
Anti-capitalist demonstrations for May Day, also known as the International Day of the Worker, were organized in cooperation with labour groups, government employees and members of the Occupy movement at cities around the world, including in the U.S., Greece, Spain and France.
