Traditional "Bash the Police" Fireworks Afterparty
Vancouver Insurrectionary News
On Saturday night, August 9, 2003, about 400,000 people gathered at English Bay for the final event of Vancouver's annual international fireworks competition. After the fireworks ended citizens flooded the streets of downtown and ambushed and attacked Vancouver police officers, in what may also become an annual event.
As opposed to last year's fireworks, police reported that there were no serious fights or assualts between citizens, and that people had instead decided to focus all of their energy on attacking the police.
"Police had to deal with direct attacks... We saw individuals try to confront police and get into physical confrontations with police... We saw rocks and bottles thrown at police officers at various points... It was a constant confrontation between some groups and police."
- Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Sarah Bloor in the Vancouver Sun, August 11, 2003
Police also used a mounted squad to drive people off the beach and a helicopter to spotlight crowds downtown.
Earlier in the day a man had fallen to his death when the RCMP Emergency Respose Team broke in on him to execute a search warrant. The next day plainclothes Vancouver police shot a suspected robber and sent him to the hospital.
At last year's Vancouver fireworks crowds smashed windows, swarmed police and even pepper-sprayed seven officers in revenge for several nights worth of police brutality and indescriminate use of tear gas and pepper-spray.
Last Year's Police Bashing Festivities