A climate protest shut down traffic on the Walterdale Bridge on Monday morning, making all three northbound lanes impassable to commuters during rush hour traffic.
Extinction Rebellion, the group behind the protest, began blocking traffic on the bridge at 7 a.m.
Around ten protestors with hands linked are blocking drivers from crossing the bridge. A line of waiting vehicles has already begun to snake up the length of Walterdale Hill and Queen Elizabeth Park Road.
Organizers described the protest as peaceful but some commuters clashed with demonstrators.
A revving motorcycle could be seen driving around the line of protestors. Another driver attempted to swerve around the demonstrators while repeatedly honking his horn.
Many other drivers have exited their vehicles to scream and curse at the demonstrators.
Ten protesters blocking Walterdale <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/yeg?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#yeg</a> pleading w/police to move protesters <a href=”https://t.co/XXWSr5lLnk”>pic.twitter.com/XXWSr5lLnk</a>
—@LydiaNeufeldCBC
Edmonton police are on scene diverting traffic from the area. A spokesperson for the southeast division said officers have been responding to reports of fighting on the bridge.
“We’ve got lots of resources in place to try to keep this thing peaceful and with any luck, have that bridge open. We’re still trying to organize our resources,” said EPS Staff Sgt. Neil Thompson.
“We’ve got officers down there now so I’m hoping things will smooth out.”
It’s unclear how long the protest is expected to last or if police plan to dismantle the blockade.
“Right now we’re just focusing on trying to divert traffic away from it and once we get our teams in place, we’ll have to make a decision as to what’s going to happen with the protestors,” Thompson said.
“Hopefully, its peaceful, they’ll do their thing and move along.”
The protest is part of the group’s #BridgeOut campaign, a series of similar actions taking place across North America and Europe.
Extinction Rebellion has already targeted Toronto’s Bloor Viaduct and the MacDonald Bridge in Halifax, backing up commuter traffic as thousands of people seek alternate routes to work. Demonstrators also have planned similar protests in London, Paris, Berlin and New York.
“By engaging in civil disobedience, Extinction Rebellion Canada hopes to pressure elected officials to enact legally-binding policies to reduce Canada’s carbon emissions to net-zero by 2025,” reads a news release from Extinction Rebellion.
“This demand aligns with what the world’s best climate scientists tell us is needed to prevent runaway global warming.”