Six protesters arrested in attempted blockade on Regina rail tracks (2024)

Six protesters were arrested Wednesday morning for blocking a Canadian Pacific Railway line in north Regina as part of an international call for an end to violence in Gaza.

More than a dozen bundled-up protesters, most wearing face masks, gathered at the rail crossing near Park Street and 7th Avenue at approximately 10 a.m., carrying a Palestinian flag and several banners.

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Standing in the biting, icy wind for over an hour, nine people were spread across the width of the tracks with a banner reading “Arms Embargo Now.” The same phrase was chanted throughout the morning, led by the rest of the group gathered nearby on the grass.

Demonstrators said the plan was to remain all day, joining a national string of port and rail blockades meant to disrupt CP freight lines in protest of their involvement in transporting arms from Canada to Israel.

Wednesday’s action is the second attempt by pro-Palestinian protesters to block a major rail line in Regina, after five individuals were arrested on the tracks over Albert Street and Saskatchewan Drive in November.

“We’re putting our bodies on the line to make a change. We have a moral necessity to take part in this,” spokesperson Park Davis said on Wednesday, from the tracks.

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“We’re here for a reason and, right now, putting pressure on the government is important.”

The small blockade delayed at least two trains loaded with cargo before police arrived within half an hour to move the group. Negotiations did not budge the small group of protesters, who Davis said were “committed” to staying as intended.

The Leader-Post witnessed six people being handcuffed and removed from the tracks by 11 a.m., escorted into cruisers on scene. All did so peacefully, one allowing an RPS officer to tuck their white and blue linen scarf into their bag, as witnesses chanted “shame” at officers.

Those remaining moved beside the tracks but stayed on site, continuing to chant “free, Free Palestine” and wave banners at cars passing by.

A Regina Police Service spokesperson confirmed later that members were responding to “assist other emergency services” with the situation, and that “six people are under arrest” as a result of the demonstration.

CP Rail Police will be leading the investigation, with assistance from RPS. Charges, if any, were not known at the time of publication Wednesday.

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Organizers say Wednesday’s action was a call for a two-way arms embargo against Israel, and for Canada to follow through on a recent commitment to cease supply of arms overseas.

The federal House of Commons passed a non-binding vote in March that committed to halting arms sales to Israel, formalizing a freeze on new arms export permits in place since Jan. 8. The vote has yet to be solidified as policy or law, and permits issued before January remain active.

Pro-Palestinian and human rights advocates say $28.5 million in arms permits have been authorized since the conflict began in October.

“Our government is currently funding the genocide in Gaza,” said Davis. “They are selling arms to Israel as well as buying Israel’s arms.”

Similar protests took place earlier this week in Toronto, Halifax and Vancouver, as well as at major airports in the U.S.

lkurz@postmedia.com

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