Vancouver police have arrested at six climate change protesters holding a “funeral procession” in downtown Vancouver on Friday.
“Between 12 and 7 p.m., police were forced to arrest six people for mischief after they stopped traffic and erected structures blocking a main intersection,” according to a Vancouver police media release.
“Protestors perched themselves on top of the structures and refused to leave the area, despite several requests, and then warnings, from officers.”
Environmental group Extinction Rebellion Vancouver organized the protest, which included a group of top hat-wearing pall bearers carrying a prop black coffin with “change or die” written on it through the streets and Pacific Centre Mall.
After parading through the mall, bewildering Black Friday shoppers, demonstrators staged a “die in” in Pacific Centre’s rotunda.
Extinction Rebellion had described Friday’s action as a “somber moment to reflect” on the millions of species facing extinction amid the ongoing process of climate change.
The group says it has three demands of government: “telling the truth” about the urgency of climate change, cutting greenhouse gases to net-zero by 2025, and creating a citizens’ assembly to lead climate action.
Friday’s march is the group’s latest attempt to focus attention on climate change.
In October, the group took over the Burrard Street Bridge for about 12 hours, leading police to arrest 10 demonstrators. Later that month, it led a “snake march” through the downtown core, disrupting traffic.
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2018 report says emissions must be cut by 45 per cent from 2010 levels by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 in order to avoid severe climate change impacts.