‘Who cares about shit about climate change?’ an angry driver shouted during a verbal altercation after protesters blocked traffic on Vancouver’s Lions Gate Bridge on Wednesday.
Drivers blocked by former protesters at Lions Gate Bridge on Wednesday morning (June 22) had an ugly altercation with protesters on the bridge deck.
Drivers who had been prevented from crossing the bridge during rush hour around 7:30 a.m. got out of their cars and began to give some of their minds to two protesters who had parked a van in the two traffic lanes.
A man who said he was an “old growth logger” ripped off a protest sign on the side of the van and pushed one of the protesters. “I have been in the wood trade all my life. You don’t know how the world works, ”he said.
One woman told protesters they were not helping to win public sympathy with her actions.
“You’re pissing people off,” he said. “No one will leave here saying ‘We support these guys.’ You’re mad at us.”
Another driver raised his fists over his head as he shouted, “Who the fuck sucks climate change?” and he added, “You took your picture, you made your point. Now get the shit out of here.”
Two elderly protesters, including a North Vancouver man, were arrested for crossing and “intimidating by blocking a road” by Vancouver police after officers arrived at the scene.
It is not the first time that logging protesters have disrupted bridge traffic on the north coast.
Traffic was disrupted on Highway 1 in West Vancouver on June 14 when three protesters blocked the westbound lane near Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, getting stuck on the road.
On June 13, another protest by the Save Old Growth group blocked the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, while a simultaneous protest also blocked the Massey tunnel.
Three protesters were arrested for the Ironworkers protest, but were released after agreeing not to deliberately block or impede traffic on any BC road.
Ben Holt, a 52-year-old computer programmer living in North Vancouver, was one of the protesters arrested by police in both the recent blockades of Horseshoe Bay and the Lions Gate Bridge.
Holt recently told North Shore News that he understands the frustration his actions are causing drivers, but said he feels he has little choice if he wants to draw attention to the cause of stopping the old-growth logging.
Holt said the protests are striking, which is more than writing petitions and acting within the political system.
“I would ask the public, before they get out of their car and confront people, to take a few deep breaths, to think about what they’re doing. And think about why the protesters are out there,” he said.
With video files by Alanna Kelly
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