4 arrested after 24-hour rally protests 'outrageous' jail sentence, blocks traffic outside Port of Vancouver

Harsh sentence prompts pipeline protestors Protestors believe a sentence given to a fellow activist is outrageous and meant to send a message.

Vancouver — Four people were arrested after a protest lasted more than 24 hours in front of the Port of Vancouver.

A large number of police moved in on the group Wednesday night, telling them to move out of the intersection of Clark Drive and Hastings Street.

““The (Vancouver Police Department) strongly supports peoples’ fundamental freedom to peacefully gather, demonstrate, and express their views, and this group was given a full day to do that,” said Sgt. Steve Addison in a news release.

“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.”

Four adults were arrested for mischief and intimidation by blocking a roadway. The VPD says the four were taken to Vancouver jail and released after agreeing to attend court at a later date.

The protesters arrived at the intersection around 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday after Indigenous man, Stacy Gallagher, was sentenced to 90 days in jail.

He was found guilty on three counts of violating an injunction that blocks protests at Trans Mountain pipeline sites in Burnaby. On Tuesday one person at the protest, a member of a group called the Braided Warriors, told CTV News they were demanding the charges be dropped.

Two weeks ago, the Braided Warriors also held a pipeline protest at an office building in downtown Vancouver. The actions of police in that instance are now under review.