Six people who were arrested outside a Canada Post sorting facility in Halifax have been charged with mischief and obstructing a peace officer.
They are set to appear in Halifax Provincial Court Monday.
In a statement Sunday night, police say protesters at the facility were posing a “serious public safety threat” and not complying with officers’ attempts to disperse them.
They say they responded to reports that several vehicles were clogging up traffic on a street near the facility, “impacting two-way traffic.”
The force says it “respects and upholds the right of citizens for peaceful and safe protest,” but officers acted in the interest of public safety.
IWW K’jipuktuk – Halifax, one of the groups that took part in the protest, issued a statement on social media Sunday night. The group says some of their members were among those arrested and calls the Halifax Regional Police’s (HRP) action a “heavy-handed overreaction.”
“While larger solidarity pickets have been happening across the country, all other police forces have managed not to escalate them. Before last night, no arrests had been made at any solidarity picket. HRP has proven itself once again unable to peacefully engage with non-violent protesters,” the statement reads.
Protesters have been rallying outside Canada Post facilities throughout the weekend, after the federal government legislated postal workers back on the job.
In a statement Saturday afternoon, Canada Post said it had contacted police about a similar rally in Mississauga, Ont., and was considering its options to deal with the demonstrations.
— With files from The Canadian Press