Police shut down a protest that blocked a major East Vancouver intersection for more than 24 hours.
Indigenous youth calling themselves Braided Warriors set up the blockade on Hastings Street and Clark Drive late Tuesday to protest a 90-day jail sentence handed to an anti-pipeline protester.
Vancouver police say they arrested four people on Wednesday night after they refused to clear the intersection.
“(Vancouver police) strongly supports peoples’ fundamental freedom to peacefully gather, demonstrate, and express their views, and this group was given a full day to do that,” Vancouver police Sgt. Steve Addison said in a statement, adding that about 75 took part in the blockade.
“When it became clear some protesters had no intention of leaving, officers were forced to arrest them to reopen the intersection for all road users.”
The intersection, which is a key entrance to the Port of Vancouver, was the site of an anti-pipeline protect last February.
— with files from The Canadian Press