Victoria Police End Rally Support, Protesters Adapt

0:00Victoria police have announced they will stop providing traffic control and other support for the weekly pro-Palestine rallies held downtown for over two years. Chief Fiona Wilson explained that these events have consumed more than 10,000 hours of officer time, leading to widespread fatigue and burnout, among the force. Earlier this week at a news conference, police noted they've investigated eight criminal incidents across 126 weeks of rallies. Police have also managed regular tensions between protesters, counter-protesters, and bystanders. Moving forward, they'll only respond to future events as specific risks arise. Protesters insist they never requested police presence, relying instead on their own trained safety marshals to keep things peaceful. Group leaders say they've always stepped in quickly to de-escalate any issues with opponents. Local business leaders welcome the change, saying the constant weekly disruptions have hurt small and medium-sized shops downtown. While they accept the occasional protests in the capital city area, the routine nature

1:02of these gatherings had worn thin-on residents and owners alike. Police say they've continued talking with rally organizers as needed, but without routine resources, the marches are set to go on independently for the foreseeable future. This has been Vancouver News Today, powered by AI, I'm Corey with The Story.