Black Lives Matter protest fills Calgary streets

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Another Black Lives Matter protest was held in Calgary Wednesday and Premier Jason Kenney says the government is not trying to criminalize these types of movements.

The protest comes after the third reading of Bill 1, the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act was passed. The defence act heavily penalizes protests such as railway blockades.

“This bill was targeting unlawful blocking of critical infrastructure in a way that threatens public safety. So, holding a political protest to make your point whether it is to support or opposition to a pipeline for example is something that we will always respect and defend,” Kenney said.

The bill has a wide range of definitions for critical infrastructure which includes things like provincial highways where crew members need the highway to access pipeline sites.

https://twitter.com/Tommy_Slick/status/1268289482056294403?s=20

Hundreds gathered at Poppy Plaza downtown to protest and then later in the afternoon marched to city hall for a candlelight vigil.

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The 10th Street bridge was closed in both directions for the protest.

 

#yyctraffic Road closures expanding.
The #BlackLivesMatter demonstration at Poppy Plaza at 10th & Memorial, has both roads closed.
Memorial Drive shut down between Centre & 19th Street NW .. & 10th Street is blocked from 4th Ave SW thru Kensington Road NW. #TiedUpTraffic pic.twitter.com/p3cXXlTW82

— CityNews Calgary Traffic (@CityNews660) June 3, 2020

Thousands of people gathered at city hall and a vigil took place Wednesday night.

It was overall a peaceful demonstration where only one incident involved police, a man in a Trump shirt tried to dispute the protest but demonstrators quickly intervened and police removed the individual.

Another person was injured after falling from a pillar at Olympic Plaza and was transported to hospital with head injuries.

A crowd has formed on Olympic Plaza chanting. More people are expected to arrive soon where a vigil is expected to take place pic.twitter.com/NEaVFSKmeQ

— Jeff Slack (@Jeffslack660) June 3, 2020

Thousands watched and listened to a number of emotional speeches and stories about people’s own experiences of discrimination.

The main message out of the protest was that it doesn’t end here and people need to call out racism where they see it.