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3 arrested for blocking traffic in downtown Victoria

Save Old Growth was demonstrating on local roadways for the fourth time this month
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Three were arrested for blocking traffic in downtown Victoria on Jan. 28. (Black Press Media file photo)

Three people were arrested after they blocked traffic in Victoria on Friday afternoon.

Victoria police said they closed some downtown streets due to demonstrators blocking or marching in the roadways. The intermittent disruptions impacted sections of Douglas, Wharf, Johnson and Fisgard streets and lasted from about 3:30 p.m. to just after 5 p.m. Police said the closures aimed to minimize traffic disruptions and keep people safe.

Three people were arrested after warnings from officers, VicPD said. A police release didn’t say if any of the arrested individuals face recommended charges.

The group Save Old Growth said Friday it was blocking local roadways for the fourth time as the group calls for stopping old-growth logging in B.C. and for the province to implement its strategic review of old-growth forests.

“The immense capacity for old forests to withstand and mitigate climate change-related extreme weather events should not be understated, especially following the devastating floods and fires across B.C. in 2021,” Save Old Growth said in a release.

“The B.C. government is destroying the country, this is our last resort. We are scared of sitting down on the road, but will keep doing it until the government throws us in prison or keeps their own promise to save old growth. Premier (John) Horgan is destroying his own legacy.”

READ: 6 arrested in Victoria after group blocks northbound lanes of Douglas Street downtown


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