At one point, protestors stopped on the bridge to light a small propane fire and to sing a song. The bridge was at a standstill for 30 minutes while this occurred.
A group of protestors blocked a bridge in Edmonton, Alberta on Monday over a dispute between a pipeline company and the Wet’suwet’en, according to the Edmonton Journal.
Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs oppose the construction of the pipeline, while elected chiefs support it.
During the protest march through the city of Edmonton, protestors managed to block the High-Level Bridge with about 200 people.
At one point, protestors stopped on the bridge to light a small propane fire and to sing a song. The bridge was at a standstill for 30 minutes while this occurred.
Explaining their actions in a statement, one protest group said that "unceded Indigenous territories and First Nations are sovereign spaces, and [the police] don’t have jurisdiction now and can’t be arresting people or invading or forcing through the CGL pipeline,"
"It’s particularly [messed] up when they’re doing it with ongoing climate crisis occurring in British Columbia," they added.
The protest started at around 5 pm. Protestors marched through the city, chanting slogans such as "How do you spell racist? R-C-M-P."
They also chanted "always was, always will be Indigenous land," while they carried anti-police banners. Police escorted the crowd and diffused tensions between stuck motorists and the protestors.
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
