13 people charged with mischief for pro-Palestinian protest in Vancouver

Vancouver police line up opposite pro-Palestinian protesters blocking road and rail traffic in East Vancouver on Friday, May 31, 2024. (X.com / @AaronPettman)

Thirteen people who were arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest in Vancouver earlier this year have been charged, according to authorities.

Mischief charges were approved Monday in connection with a May 31 demonstration in East Vancouver. On that day, roughly 100 people blocked an intersection and railway crossing near Kaslo Street and Grandview Highway.

"Unlawful protests that block vital infrastructure put people's safety at risk," said Vancouver police spokesperson Const. Tania Visintin in a media release announcing arrests in May.

Images and video posted on social media show a line of police officers standing in front of a group of protesters flying a Palestinian flag. In one video, an officer can be heard using a loudspeaker to tell the protesters they have three minutes to disperse. Fourteen people were arrested approximately three hours after the protest began.

The 13 people charged have not been identified, but police say they are all adults. They are scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 9.

The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association has announced it will be filing a complaint with the Vancouver Police Department's civilian oversight board, saying police used "excessive use of force" at the May 31 protest.

The group's policy director Meghan McDermott says the association was "horrified" by police actions, adding that the complaint will also cite "ongoing surveillance of people attending" protests and rallies, calling it "intimidating" and "invasive to privacy."

Sukhi Gill, a protest organizer, says officers twisted arms, used pepper spray, put people in headlocks and threw some of them to the concrete.

With files from The Canadian Press