Victoria Police Scale Back Palestinian Rally Support

0:00It's March 25. I'm Cory with the story, and this is Canada News today, your AI-powered local news. Victoria Police are scaling back their involvement in a weekly pro-Palestinian rally that's been going on for 126 weeks. After dedicating more than 10,000 hours of officer time to traffic control and safety, the department says it's no longer sustainable. Starting April 4, they won't provide those resources for the street marches anymore. The main reason is officer well-being amid the highest call volumes per member in British Columbia. Chief Constable Fiona Wilson explained that priorities like investigations, traffic safety, and community policing need those resources now. It's a move to keep policing effective across the city. Police have notified the city, Muslim and Jewish community leaders, and rally organizers about the change. One organizer from Coast Salish to Palestine pointed out, they've never requested police presence and used their own safety marshals instead. Meanwhile, officers

1:01plan to share safety info with protesters and nearby businesses starting this Saturday. They'll wrap up patrols around places of worship due to global tensions and keep monitoring the events. This shift lets police focus where demand is highest, while still supporting peaceful assembly, as long as folks stay off roadways for everyone's safety.