An old-growth protest group that has made headlines in B.C. for disrupting traffic says like-minded groups around the world have launched a number of demonstrations at big events like the Tour de France and Formula 1 Grand Prix in Britain.
The group, called Save Old Growth, has aligned itself with the A22 Network for Civil Resistance, a ten-country coalition where each member has a distinct policy demand from their respective governments. In Canada, Save Old Growth demands that the John Horgan administration pass legislation to immediately end all old-growth logging in B.C.
“We’re inspired by the actions of our member groups,” said Save Old Growth member, Charlie Picui. “We’re in the midst of a catastrophic emergency. We will not be spectators at our demise.”
The group has been occupying highways in various parts of the province in an effort to cause enough disruptive action that B.C. is pushed to end all old-growth logging.
According to the group there have been 120 arrests during its demonstrations with no cases of violence or resisting arrest.
“People are outraged that we interrupt business-as-usual,” said Picui. “We hope people’s outrage can instead be pointed towards governments who fail to adapt and mitigate climate change, causing people to lose their homes and their communities in unparalleled weather and natural disasters.”
Group targets Vancouver landmarks
The group says it has been spray-painting Vancouver tourist attractions and landmarks as an act of civil disobedience.
The Save OId Growth group says targets have included the Gastown steam clock, artist Douglas Coupland’s Digital Orca sculpture, the Olympic torch, Science World and the CBC’s offices.
The group, which distributed a photo of the steam clock covered with slogans, says it painted the messages as a reminder of what it called the B.C. government’s “broken promises” on logging, as part of Overshoot Day – designed to mark the date when humanity has used up all biological resources the planet is capable of regenerating each year.
– with files from The Canadian Press
