VANCOUVER – Peaceful protest is welcome in Vancouver but those taking part in the global movement against financial inequality should refrain from violence and leave the masks at home, say police and politicians.
The event kicks off outside the Vancouver Art Gallery Saturday, with participants assembling at 10 a.m.
It’s part of a large and growing global movement that was conceived by the Vancouver-based magazine Adbusters and started on New York’s Wall Street to protest against social and economic inequality.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said issues of inequality and economic instability are important, and the vast majority of those protesting want to do so peacefully and legally.
“However, we know from our experience with the Stanley Cup riots and the protests that marked the start of the Olympic Games that large gatherings can sometimes attract small groups of people determined to use these avenues for their own violent ends,” said Robertson, in a media release.
“Violence, whether against people or property, will not be tolerated and will only detract from those who wish to legitimately express their opinions.”
He said senior city staff are working with police and stakeholders to ensure a peaceful and lawful protest.
Const. Jana McGuinness, with the Vancouver Police Department, said police don’t anticipate any violence but will be watchful of anyone trying to hijack the event.
“We are asking peaceful protesters to watch for those individuals whose actions or preparations indicate that they are planning to commit a criminal act, and to discourage the criminal behaviour and if necessary, to inform the police so we can protect the safety of people and property,” she said in a statement.
McGuinness said police have seen criminals intent on committing violent acts hiding behind masks in the past.
“For everyone’s safety, the VPD is encouraging participants not to wear masks and discourage anyone around them from doing so,” she added.
She said additional charges can be laid if a person is caught hiding their face while committing a crime.
B.C. New Democrat Leader Adrian Dix said British Columbians are experiencing unprecedented inequality and the highest child-poverty rate in Canada.
He said the middle class is also feeling strain and British Columbians are abandoning the traditional political process.
“We would be making a grave mistake if we treated these events as anything less than a genuine attempt by citizens to be heard by a political and economic system they feel has abandoned them,” he said.
However, Dix asked participants to protest in a peaceful manner that “recognizes everyone’s right to express their views and to disagree respectfully with others.”
Not everybody expects the protest to attract many people, though.
Premier Christy Clark said Canada is different from and more fair than the U.S., has a large degree of social equity and a thriving middle class.
She predicted protesters won’t see the same kind of success experienced in New York.
A number of unions and organizations are supporting Saturday’s protest, including the B.C. Government and Services’ Employees’ Union, BC Federation of Labour, BC Health Coalition, British Columbia Nurses’ Union and the Canadian Office & Professional Employees Union No. 378.
Similar protests have also taken place in several U.S. cities and will spread to Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Guelph, Windsor, Montreal, Saint John, and Halifax this weekend.
According to a posting on occupyvancouver.com, the protest “is ambitiously seeking a complex, fundamental, philosophical change in the social, political, and economic infrastructure of our country.”
(The Canadian Press/CKNW 980)
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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