Multiple Rallies for Provincewide Day of Action for Old Growth Forests Held in Victoria

If you wanted to rally for old growth forests in Victoria today, there was plenty to choose from!

On this provincewide day of action to protect old growth forests, no less than three rallies were held across Victoria. Two I did not attend: a protest at MLA Murray Lankin’s office on Shelbourne Street, and another flash mob by Elders for Ancient Trees, this time at Uptown’s courtyard in front of Walmart. So I’ll focus on the one I did attend, at MLA Grace Lore’s office on Fort Street.

The event was scheduled for five hours, which is unusual. Since it labelled itself a “street occupation” I presumed the organisers were plotting something like another painted circle on the pavement, but it turned out to be exactly what it had been advertised to be: a prayer circle ceremony followed by a march across town.

Nice weather for a nice event. We were about 75 at peak attendance, although only 40 stayed until the march. It lasted five long hours indeed.

MLA Grace Lore had been invited to attend, but of course had something better to do, as usual. Not that her presence was missed. Elder Bill Jones did honour us with his presence, however, to remind us just how much the provincial government had to do to deliver on its commitments made in its own Old Growth Strategic Review (OGSR), at the core of the protesters’ demands.

Elder Bill Jones speaks. Where is MLA Grace Lore?

Only two measly cops??? What a downer. Where’s the usual 10-officer unit deployed at every ecoterrorist event?

The “street occupation” in question was limited to one lane only, at a perimeter that had already been marked for construction, so the actual disruption was minimal. Nevertheless, the event needed traffic marshals due to the close proximity between the crowd of roughly 75 people and two lanes’ worth of car traffic. I was offered the role for this reason, and spent much of the time with my back to the action, to focus on making sure nobody got hurt.

Barely one metre between protesters and cars. I had to wave some drivers forward because they wondered whether we were actually blocking the road.

Meanwhile, the organisers made an offering circle the crowd gathered about, and performed a ceremony. While some inevitable ranting about the colonial invader would follow, for the most part the event consisted on prayer, meditation, songs, and drumming. The formula reminded me of the rally at the Legislature in June, down to of course those giant banners we’ve gotten used to since the United for Old Growth march.

This was first and foremost a sacred ceremony, not a traditional protest.

Speaking of banners, I had to switch roles to banner bearer for the march, which didn’t quite unfold as planned. The problem was the wind, which blew so hard, and against us at that, that at some point we had to halt because we just couldn’t push forward while carrying those big sails. Fortunately it relented just enough that we could carry on, although larger banners (I had the largest!) required a second bearer just to stabilise the bottom beam.

Stretching before the march. Those banners are way heavier than they look, and watch out for gusts of winds! Of course that means no pictures of the march proper, forget it.

But we made it, down Cook Street all the way to the ocean, where we gathered around in another circle for more songs and drumming, at which point I left, completely spent. It was a nice event overall. Of note is that Friends of Fairy Creek gave an update on their lawsuit against the government in provincial court, invoking the Migratory Birds Convention Act as a new strategy to protect old growth forests. Next week will decide whether the complaint goes forward. Either way, the fight goes on.