Canada arrests over 850 anti-logging protesters since April 2021

In a record of sorts, over 850 anti-logging protesters have been arrested in Canada since April 2021. This record has been made for the country’s biggest act of civil disobedience.  

Although most of the trees have been logged, the protestors look to preserve the remaining ones that are hundreds of years old. These trees are present in the old-growth forest that lies within Vancouver Island.   

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Protesters have also clashed with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to preserve these trees.  

Part of the Rainforest Flying Squad, the protesters have used various methods to resist logging. They have locked their bodies to the road, chained themselves to logs and also stayed in the trees.  

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have also reportedly responded aggressively. Protester Jean-François Savard told The Guardian, “The [police] are getting very frustrated by our tenacity because we’re constantly rebuilding and coming up with new ideas. People aren’t giving up.”  

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The police have also been criticised for removing name badges, covering their faces and preventing the press from covering the ongoing protest.  

The protesters are also protecting the Marbled Murrelet chicks, which are endangered species that live within the old-growth trees.