Close X
Friday, November 1, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. port terminal among sites blocked in co-ordinated pro-Palestinian protests

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 16 Apr, 2024 10:14 AM
  • B.C. port terminal among sites blocked in co-ordinated pro-Palestinian protests

A blockade by pro-Palestinian protesters at a major port terminal in Metro Vancouver disrupted operations for several hours before dispersing on Monday.

Terminal operator GCT Canada said the protesters' actions were illegal and stopped container trucks from accessing the Deltaport facility by blocking the Roberts Bank causeway for several hours. 

Photos and videos sent by the protesters, who called the event the "People's Picket for Palestine," showed demonstrators standing on the causeway, waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans such as "victory is very near" as they blocked traffic. 

"I am here today to say that the Canadian government and Canadian businesses, like GCT Deltaport, must take a stand and refuse to do business with Israel," protester Atiya Jaffar said in a statement.

The Port of Vancouver is the largest port in Canada, and GCT Deltaport is the country's largest container terminal with capacity to handle 2.4 million standard 20-foot containers every year.

GCT spokesman Marko Dekovic said the company was not warned of the blockade beforehand and did not know why Deltaport was targeted.

"There are two other terminals in Burrard Inlet, DP World Centerm and GCT Vanterm, as well as DP World Fraser Surrey that were not blockaded," Dekovic said in a written response.

Dekovic said Monday's blockade was at one point "severely impacting" the terminal's ability to operate but declined to discuss the port's recovery capabilities "as it may give the protesters other ideas on how to negatively impact the operation."

Trade and transport infrastructure experts say while the disruption from such a blockade is inconvenient for truckers stuck at the terminal gates, it is unlikely to cause serious backlogs. 

"The cargo in containers is not so perishable or valuable that a day’s delay makes a difference," said Simon Fraser University professor of urban studies Peter Hall. "A blockage needs to go on for a while before it has appreciable impact."

University of British Columbia Sauder school of business associate professor Werner Antweiler agreed that the impact of such a blockade should be limited, despite Deltaport seeing about eight trains and 3,500 trucks moving in and out every day based on a 2021 study.

But Antweiler said a bigger question may be on the possibility of similar disruptions from protest blockades in the future.

"Some provinces such as Alberta have adopted laws to protect critical infrastructure, B.C. hasn’t." he said in a written response. 

"Protest is a legal right, but a blockade is not. If the protest is deemed an illegal blockade that disturbs the peace, it could — and should — be removed."

The Delta Police Department said earlier that its officers were at the scene and had been working to restore use of the roadway. 

Protesters said in a statement that the demonstration was co-ordinated with protests around the world aimed at blocking "major choke points in the economy" to cause "the most economic impact."

Other protests on Monday included one in Chicago where pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three terminals at the city's O’Hare International Airport, temporarily stopping traffic into one of the world's busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers.

The B.C. protest contingent said more than 100 demonstrators participated in the blockade.

MORE National ARTICLES

BOC holds key interest rate at 5%

BOC holds key interest rate at 5%
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says we've come a long way in our fight against high inflation but it's still too soon to start lowering interest rates. The central bank has done as expected and kept its key interest rate steady at five per cent.

BOC holds key interest rate at 5%

'I'm too far away': Five Canadians dead in plane that crashed near downtown Nashville

'I'm too far away': Five Canadians dead in plane that crashed near downtown Nashville
The pilot of a single-engine plane that crashed near downtown Nashville told air traffic controllers he could see the runway they were clearing for an emergency landing. But he said he couldn’t reach it. The pilot had another adult and three children on board, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Aaron McCarter said at a Tuesday news conference. He said the five were Canadian citizens and the agency is working with the Canadian government to determine their identities. 

'I'm too far away': Five Canadians dead in plane that crashed near downtown Nashville

Re-arrest for Vancouver sex offender

Re-arrest for Vancouver sex offender
Vancouver police say a high-risk sex offender who was serving a five-year long-term supervision order was rearrested last week. Police had issued a public warning on February 26th that Skylar Wayne Pelletier had been released from custody and was living in Vancouver. The 24-year-old was previously convicted of sexual assault, assault, and break and enter.

Re-arrest for Vancouver sex offender

Grandparent scam in Kelowna

Grandparent scam in Kelowna
Kelowna RCMP say they are looking for a woman who's involved in a recent scam targeting the elderly. Police say the suspect reportedly took money from an elderly woman after someone pretending to be an officer called the victim about her grandson being arrested and needing to pay a bond.

Grandparent scam in Kelowna

B.C.'s securities watchdog fined rule breakers $430M. Why can't it make them pay?

B.C.'s securities watchdog fined rule breakers $430M. Why can't it make them pay?
Thalbinder Singh Poonian and Shailu Poonian claim they'll be in debt to the commission "likely for life," owing about $19 million after being found to have engaged in market manipulation of a company's stock in 2015. The commission ruled the couple boosted the price of OSE Corp. on the Toronto Stock Exchange by trading among themselves, relatives, friends and acquaintances, then sold the shares at the inflated prices to unsuspecting buyers.

B.C.'s securities watchdog fined rule breakers $430M. Why can't it make them pay?

State funeral for former prime minister Mulroney to be held in Montreal March 23

State funeral for former prime minister Mulroney to be held in Montreal March 23
A state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney will be held on March 23 in Montreal. Mulroney died Feb. 29 at a Florida hospital following a recent fall at his Palm Beach home. He was 84. Parliamentarians are expected to pay tribute to Canada's 18th prime minister in the House of Commons when MPs return to Ottawa on March 18 after a two-week break.

State funeral for former prime minister Mulroney to be held in Montreal March 23