Several Hundred people showed up on sunny Saturday morning for a protest march from Mariner’s Park in downtown Prince Rupert to the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre. People from many different backgrounds showed up to voice their opposition to the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline. With the All Native Basketball Tournament about to begin, First Nations people were out in force from Tsimshian to Haisla and other nations from around the province to the Gitga’at – who organized the protest in the first place. While it was a protest held by the First Nations, large amount non-aboriginal supporters from many communities came out to support them in their opposition.
The large procession made its way down a closed-off McBride Street towards the civic centre where a day-long rally would take place to protest the controversial project. Many people waved homemade signs and were wearing ceremonial garb or even covered in oil. The march concluded with a drum circle in the middle of the highway before protesters went inside the civic centre for the rest of the day’s events.
