A record number of protesters gathered in downtown Vancouver over the weekend, with turnout nearly doubling what police had anticipated. The Vancouver Police Department estimates 17,000 people attended 18 demonstrations throughout the weekend, with most of the protest activity happening at one location. “There were approximately 15,000 people out at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Sunday, which is by far the biggest gathering of the year,” Sgt. Steve Addison tells CTV News. “These are some of the biggest protests crowds we’ve seen since the months immediately following the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.” The turnout far exceeded the expectations of the VPD, which had said last week that it was expecting “upwards of 7,000, 8,000, 9,000” attendees and would be deploying 130 additional officers in response. Police said the goal was to help manage crowds and mitigate disruptions for people who are not involved in protests. “The number and size of protests, as well as their volatility, is typically tied to geopolitical issues,” Addison explains. “Events in Iran, Gaza, Venezuela and the United States have all contributed to the ramped-up protest activity over the past couple of weeks.” Unlike the weekend prior, when police say protesters from different groups had to be kept separate to avoid becoming physical, there were no serious incidents at the most recent demonstrations.
