About 75 protesters who had been blocking the Johnson Street Bridge on Tuesday afternoon abandoned the bridge and started heading into downtown Victoria around 6:30 p.m., according to police.
In the late afternoon, Victoria police sent negotiators to the bridge to speak with the protest group, which had been drawing attention to old-growth logging and RCMP actions in Fairy Creek. When the group left the bridge, the police closed off Pandora Avenue at Broad Street to minimize risk with passing vehicles.
Police said protesters occupied the bridge around 3:30 p.m. and officers remained on scene to ensure safety.
Bridge access remained open for pedestrians and cyclists. Protesters told officers they would block police, fire and transit vehicles, VicPD said in a tweet.
Protesters are holding signs saying “Defend the ancient” and “Abolish the police” while some are spray-painting red handprints on the road.
A social media post calling for supporters for the demonstration asks people to “stand with BIPOC kin against RCMP violence & colonial extraction of the land.”
The protesters dispersed in the evening.
