Shortly after protesters with the group Save Old Growth disrupted a Canadian men’s national soccer game last week, members said more disruptions were soon to be carried out — and they kept their word..On Monday, 14 people were arrested and one man was taken to hospital following a series of ongoing, coordinated protests by old-growth logging protesters in BC..Just before 6 a.m. Monday near the Swartz Bay ferry terminal on Vancouver Island, roughly a dozen people posted up on the Patricia Bay Highway, bringing traffic to a halt and blocking people from making their sailings..Some protesters attached themselves to a physical structure, including one man perched on a ladder who fell onto concrete after the ladder “collapsed,” according to Sidney/North Saanich RCMP officers..He was transported to hospital..Save Old Growth says the fall was a result of an “enraged man" having deliberately dismantled the ladder’s support..“The protest created frustration among commuters who attempted to bypass this illegal blockade. Those blockades are simply dangerous for protesters and for others,” said Corporal Alex Bérubé, BC RCMP..“While we understand the commuter’s frustration, the RCMP does not condone illegal actions taken to bypass blockades.".Five protesters were arrested at the scene..The same morning another four old-growth logging protesters were arrested in Richmond, BC as a result of a similar demonstration outside the Massey Tunnel..Richmond RCMP arrived at the tunnel shortly after 7 a.m., discovering three people sitting on Highway 99 and a fourth person perched on a platform ladder, blocking traffic in both directions..All four were arrested without incident, according to RCMP, noting the individual on the ladder was breaching conditions for a previous arrest. Mounties are pursuing charges for all those arrested..Protesters also blocked traffic over the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge in Vancouver Monday morning, however, traffic was delayed for only 15 minutes as Vancouver police quickly removed all involved..The department says officers seized three unoccupied vehicles that had been strategically placed to block traffic near the bridge and subsequently arrested five protesters, four of whom had attempted to lock themselves to a car’s steering wheel on the bridge..Save Old Growth supporters were at it again, this time in Horsehoe Bay less than 24 hours later..The demonstration took place Tuesday morning around 8 a.m. when protesters blocked Highway 1 to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal.The blockage was opened up about 30 minutes after it began, and the group says another three members were arrested..“We want to get off the highways as soon as possible. I think the premier’s office understands the public thirst to save old-growth forests,” says Zain Haq, co-founder of Save Old Growth..“The great majority of BC residents want to see permanent legal protection for our oldest forests. There is a shift in the mindset where ordinary people are starting to lose faith in their government.”.The group says it will continue non-violent disruptions until demands are met.
