Hundreds protest in Vancouver following Stanley not-guilty verdict
Vancouver rally was one of several held across Canada on Saturday
Several hundred protesters gathered in downtown Vancouver to mark their opposition to Friday's acquittal of Gerald Stanley, a Saskatchewan farmer, who had been accused in the 2016 shooting death of Colten Boushie.
Demonstrators rallied outside the CBC Vancouver building for more than an hour with drums, songs and speeches. The crowd then marched through downtown Vancouver to the law courts at Hornby and Smithe.
"I felt a deep sense of heartbreak and deep sense of rage," said Khelsilem, who only uses one name, one of those at the Vancouver demonstration.
"I don't have trust in our justice system when it comes to indigenous people. We can see that it fails us repeatedly."
Thank you PM <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JustinTrudeau</a>. My thoughts are with the family of Colton Boushie tonight. I truly feel your pain and I hear all of your voices. As a country we can and must do better - I am committed to working everyday to ensure justice for all Canadians. <a href="https://t.co/HvjV0bofrQ">https://t.co/HvjV0bofrQ</a>
—@PuglaasThe 22-year-old Boushie was shot in the head on Aug. 9, 2016, after an altercation on Stanley's property. The all-white jury found Stanley, 56, not guilty of second-degree murder.
Boushie was from the Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.
Friday's verdict provoked reaction across the country, including Saturday rallies in several Saskatchewan communities as well as in Edmonton, Toronto and Ottawa.
Crowd chanting <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JusticeforColten?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JusticeforColten</a> at Vancouver rally. Has been going on for over an hour now. Hundreds here. <a href="https://t.co/GI2BvzzP3W">pic.twitter.com/GI2BvzzP3W</a>
—@pieglue