Vancouver, British Columbia – The Coal Alliance today condemned the unlawful protest carried out yesterday at the offices of Port Metro Vancouver by a group identifying itself as Rising Tide. Many of the demonstrators wore black bandanas over their faces as they entered the Port offices.
The Coal Alliance believes there is no place in civilized society for violence or intimidation against working men and women in the workplace or anywhere else.
“Their willingness to flaunt the law and physically attack individuals, including uninvolved office workers, tells us all we need to know about the nature of these groups,” said Alan Fryer, spokesperson for the Coal Alliance.
“There are reasonable voices on both sides of the debate over coal terminal expansion and those voices must not be drowned out by extremist groups opposed to the development of BC’s natural resources.”
Vancouver is a port city and BC is a primarily a resource-based economy. Coal, handled safely and responsibly as it has been for more than 40 years, is an integral part of that economy. Those realities account for tens of thousands of well-paying jobs, world-class health, safety and environmental standards all contributing to a standard of living that is the envy of the world.
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