Hours after Vancouver police arrested dozens of protesters opposed to the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline, opponents were back on the city’s streets disrupting traffic.
Protesters began marching from Main and East Hastings streets, before moving through Strathcona and blocking railway tracks at Venables and Glen streets.
The renewed demonstration followed a night and morning in which police arrested more than 40 protesters.
Demonstrators blocked access to the Port of Vancouver in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs who are trying to stop the pipeline project.
Demonstrators were served an injunction Sunday night but refused to leave.
Police arrived early Monday morning and used a loudspeaker to tell protesters they were in violation of a court order and would be arrested if they continued to block traffic at the intersection of Hastings Street and Clark Drive.
Police say 33 arrests were made Monday morning after protesters received several requests and warnings to clear the intersection.
Police say Powell Street has reopened to traffic. The Heatley access point to the port remains closed as is the intersection of Hastings and Clark as officers remove debris from the road.
Police also made multiple arrests at Deltaport, where protesters had been blocking access to Canada’s busiest port since Saturday night.
Demonstrators say they are planning more protests until RCMP leave the Wet’suwet’en blockade camp near Houston, B.C.
The Wet’suwet’en protest movement has also reached the steps of the B.C. legislature in Victoria.
A protest camp has been set up and is showing no signs of leaving ahead of Tuesday’s throne speech.
The acting clerk of the House has advised MLAs, ministerial staff, caucus staff and legislative assembly staff that the main entrance to the building is no longer accessible, and everyone should use the east side entrance.
— With files from Grace Ke and Gord MacDonald