Close to 40 people from Earth Strike Vernon hold a peaceful rally Sunday, Feb. 23, on the steps of the Vernon Courthouse, protesting colonial violence against Wet’suwet’en land defenders. (Roger Knox - Morning Star)

Close to 40 people from Earth Strike Vernon hold a peaceful rally Sunday, Feb. 23, on the steps of the Vernon Courthouse, protesting colonial violence against Wet’suwet’en land defenders. (Roger Knox - Morning Star)

Vernon protest draws close to 40 people

Earth Strike Vernon holds peaceful rally in support of Wet'suwet'en people and land

Chilly temperatures. Snow. Chilly reactions.

Close to 40 people showed up during a Sunday morning snowfall supporting climate action group Earth Strike Vernon and its three-hour peaceful protest on the steps of the Vernon Courthouse.

The protestors are upset by what it calls colonial violence being shown to Wet’suwet’en land defenders in B.C. opposing a proposed pipeline through unceded territory.

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The rally drew support from passersby in vehicles along 27th Street, as well as some negative reaction.

“We’ve had a couple of shouts and a couple of middle fingers, but other than that, that’s just what we normally get at our Earth Strike protests against climate change,” said Earth Strike municipal organizer Taylor Louis, whose group was buoyed by an improvement in Sunday’s weather to include sunshine during the rally. “It’s been mostly good reaction so that’s a win for me.”

READ MORE: Climate action strikes to continue in Vernon

Louis said immediate steps must be taken to bring an end to the aggressions of the Canadian state against the Wet’suwet’en people, and did not rule out more peaceful rallies.

Earth Strike Vernon is a municipal chapter of the larger Earth Strike International, an organization devoted to climate justice.


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