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VicPD warn of downtown traffic disruptions due to protest

Vehicles were seen heading to the B.C. Legislature Saturday to join an anti-mandate demonstration
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Hundreds of demonstrators returned to the grounds of the B.C. legislature Saturday, Feb. 19, to protest public health mandates introduced during the pandemic. (Justin Samanski-Langille/News Staff)

Demonstrations against public health mandates introduced during the pandemic returned to downtown Victoria Saturday, at times disrupting traffic throughout the downtown core.

Starting in the early afternoon, the Victoria Police Department took to Twitter to warn motorists of intermittent traffic disruptions at the intersection of Pandora Avenue and Douglas Street as a line of vehicles – mostly trucks of varying sizes – decorated with Canadian flags and protest slogans, stretched from the downtown core to Quadra Street, slowly making their way to the grounds of the B.C. legislature.

As the day wore on, Belleville Street immediately in front of the legislature grounds was closed to vehicle traffic, with police barricades set up at Government and Menzies streets.

After several hours of speeches near the legislature building’s front stairs, police tweeted the demonstrators were beginning to march north on Government, but shortly after reported the march had returned to the legislature, though some traffic disruptions were expected to continue.

READ MORE: Petition calls for Victoria to enforce noise bylaw on Freedom Convoy protest honking


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Hundreds of demonstrators returned to the grounds of the B.C. legislature Saturday, Feb. 19, to protest public health mandates introduced during the pandemic. (Justin Samanski-Langille/News Staff)
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Hundreds of demonstrators returned to the grounds of the B.C. legislature Saturday, Feb. 19, to protest public health mandates introduced during the pandemic. (Justin Samanski-Langille/News Staff)
28222271_web1_220219-VNE-convoy-traffic-JSLpics_4
Hundreds of demonstrators returned to the grounds of the B.C. legislature Saturday, Feb. 19, to protest public health mandates introduced during the pandemic. (Justin Samanski-Langille/News Staff)
28222271_web1_220219-VNE-convoy-traffic-JSLpics_5
Hundreds of demonstrators returned to the grounds of the B.C. legislature Saturday, Feb. 19, to protest public health mandates introduced during the pandemic. (Justin Samanski-Langille/News Staff)