Victoria’s Belleville Street was temporarily closed between Douglas and Menzies streets on Saturday afternoon as anti-mandate protesters spilled onto the street.
It was the fourth consecutive Saturday that protesters showed up at the B.C. legislature and in the surrounding area to voice their opposition to government COVID rules.
The demonstration took place as police in Ottawa continued to disperse protesters in that city and as a new easily transmissible sub-variant of Omicron is spreading globally.
A group of counter-protesters who support COVID-19 mandates stood in front of Victoria City Hall late Saturday morning holding signs opposing the protest at the legislature.
Many passing drivers honked in support as the group of about 30 held up signs such as “Bullies not welcome” and “Protect front-line workers.”
“We are here staging a counter protest to take back our city from the convoy,” said Tyson Strandlund, a local organizer with the Communist Party.
The party organized the counter-protest, he said. “That’s not to say that everybody here is a communist or socialist. We think this is really important that all working people be out to push back against this reactionary right-wing movement.”
Outside the legislature, numbers grew until Belleville Street was filled with anti-mandate protesters in what seemed like a party-like atmosphere. Music played and a clown sent huge bubbles into the air. Families with children were there, while others brought their dogs. A sea of extra-large Canadian and B.C. flags waved, and a Canadian flag was hoisted high by a crane at Belleville Street.
The ubiquitous honking from vehicles and air horns was a constant backdrop to the event as protesters on the street and hanging out of windows in vehicles yelled chants. Many called out “freedom.”
Victoria police walked in groups among protestors, had vehicles and officers at intersections and patrolled the area on motorcycles.
It appeared as though about 1,500 people were on the legislature lawn mid-afternoon to listen to speeches. Speakers urged protesters to stand firm: “We’re holding the line. We’ve got this.”
Many no parking signs and hoods had been put up along Government and Menzies streets prior to the protest. Nearby parking lots were packed and traffic was slowed to a crawl around the area.
Area resident Stephen Binder noticed the sound of “intense” honking early Saturday afternoon and looked out the window of his home.
He saw a man he believes is a local resident standing in front of a truck on Oswego Street to prevent it moving forward.
The truck’s driver got out of the vehicle and had words with the man, said Binder.
The truck moved forward as the pedestrian backed up, he said, and if the man had tripped he would not have been able to get out of the way.
Police officers attended and spoke to Binder and others.
The tone of the protest changed on Saturday, he said. “There’s a lot more squealing tires today. Big engines roaring up and down the street.”
This is not a protest anymore, he said. “It is bullying.”
Another nearby resident called the situation a nightmare. “It’s intolerable,” said Margot Todd. “I feel like I’m being held hostage in my own home.”
She does not want to drive “because of the huge amount of traffic” due to the weekly protests. On Saturdays, she goes out early to do her shopping so that she’s home by 10:30 a.m.
Todd had polio in her youth and is a strong supporter of vaccinations. She said she welcomes “every vaccine innoculation that’s offered.”
Meanwhile, Mounties in Surrey again closed access to the Pacific Highway border crossing because of vaccine mandate protesters.
Several dozen vehicles, mostly cars and pickups, met early Saturday alongside Hastings Park on the south side of Hastings Street near the PNE.
Protesters, including many families with kids, waved Canadian flags — though the atmosphere was muted in the cold and rainy weather compared with past large and noisy demonstrations. They had planned to go to downtown Vancouver but that plan was cancelled in favour of returning to the border crossing.
Crowds of counter-protesters gathered on the corner of Renfrew and Hastings streets with signs asking people to honk for vaccines. Many were local neighbourhood residents, brought out, they said, because they didn’t want to see people spreading fear, misinformation and hate.
At one point, counter-protesters used bikes and their bodies to block the path of convoy vehicles. Police quickly took control, though it led to part of the convoy heading east on Hastings, while other vehicles continued north along Renfrew and back to the border.
— With a file from the Vancouver Sun
