Arrests made at Vancouver protest in solidarity with Fairy Creek blockade

VANCOUVER -

Some of the protesters involved in a "die-in" in Vancouver Thursday were arrested, police have confirmed.

The Vancouver Police Department said two people were taken into custody in the evening after refusing to leave the intersection the event had blocked at rush hour.

According to the department, there were about 75 protesters in total who marched from city hall to the busy intersection of Broadway and Cambie Street.

Once there, they staged a "die-in," described by police as "laying on the pavement causing major traffic disruptions for several hours."

Const. Tania Visintin said in a release Friday that the group was asked by police to leave several times. Members who refused to move on were warned they'd be arrested.

At that time, most did get up and leave, but two people refused, according to police.

A man was arrested for mischief as a result, and a woman was arrested on an outstanding warrant, the VPD said. Officers did not say what that warrant was for.

Organizers said three people were arrested Thursday, following three hours of traffic disruption.

In a release, representatives for the environmental advocacy group Extinction Rebellion added demonstrators had been willing to move out of the way for ambulances during the protest.

The event, it explained, was in solidarity with those at the Fairy Creek site, where hundreds have been arrested while attempting to block old-growth logging on southern Vancouver Island.

"The protest took place on the day when the BC RCMP's national union met with the provincial government to ask for more funding to continue policing the protests," Extinction Rebellion said.

In the release, a volunteer said she was afraid for the future of her child.

"The government is destroying our life support systems and we are sitting by and letting this happen. The most responsible thing I can do as a new parent is non-violently rebel against this government for our families and for all life on earth," Sara Hall said.

Organizer Zain Haq also noted the devastating wildfire season as evidence of a need for further environmental protections against climate change.