Gantry cranes used to load and unload cargo containers from ships sit idle at Global Container Terminals at Deltaport, in Delta, B.C., Friday, July 7, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
DELTA, B.C. – Pro-Palestinian protesters have blocked access to a major container port terminal in Metro Vancouver.
Terminal operator GCT Canada says “illegal protesters’ actions are causing an unsafe situation” as truckers that try to access the Deltaport facility are being held on the Roberts Bank causeway.
GCT spokesman Marko Dekovic says in a statement that the company is calling on police to take action and return Deltaport to normal operations, as the protest is “severely impacting” the terminal’s ability to operate.
The Delta Police Department says its officers are at the scene “liaising” with protesters and are working to restore use of the roadway as soon as possible.
Protesters are calling the event “People’s Picket for Palestine,” and say in a statement the demonstration is co-ordinated with protests around the world aimed at blocking “major choke points in the economy” to cause “the most economic impact.”
The B.C. protest contingent says more than 100 demonstrators are participating in the blockade, and video from the scene shows protesters waving Palestinian flags and chanting “victory is very near” while they disrupt traffic.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2024.
