People upset at the B.C. premier for shutting down Vancouver's Burrard Bridge for a massive yoga event later this month will no doubt be shaking their heads about her response on social media.

The June 21 ‘Om the Bridge’ is intended to be the largest celebration of the International Day of Yoga outside of India, and Christy Clark says it is aimed at strengthening ties with that country.

But she’s drawn harsh criticism from First Nations groups, who feel it’s disrespectful because it coincides with National Aboriginal Day.

IntegrityBC, a government watchdog group, is also upset because the provincial government event is sponsored by Lululemon – a major donor to the BC Liberals.

Policing, planning and traffic control costs for the bridge shutdown could reach $150,000.

Even children’s musician Raffi Cavoukian has gotten into the anti-bridge-closure action, urging his Twitter followers to #shunthebridge.

Christy Clark sent out a joke of sorts about it on Twitter Thursday morning.

A photo posted to her account shows her standing in front of a Taoist Tai Chi centre, with the accompanying caption: “Hey Yoga Haters- bet you can't wait for international Tai Chi day.”

 

Within minutes Twitter users started firing back at Clark’s tweet, wondering if it was actually sent by Clark. Others felt the joke was insensitive and insulted First Nations.

“Whichever staffer wrote this should be fired,” user Badger_Janzen wrote.

“I have lost all respect for you,” wrote Deborah Baker.

Clark defended her stance on the event at a Nanaimo event hours after, saying it was the United Nations -- not her government -- that chose the day for the yoga event.

“It’s being celebrated all over the world – at Times Square in New York,” she told reporters.

The premier says in a province focused on “health and well-being” she doesn’t understand why the people are taking aim at an event centred on health – and finding inner harmony.

“There are thousands of people, many of them women, who find peace in their day from doing yoga. And I think it’s a little puzzling to see so many people criticizing something that people do – that thousands of British Columbians do to find a little bit of peace in their lives,” she said.