https:\/\/twitter.com\/XR_Quebec\/status\/1181675040686956551<\/p>\n
MONTREAL \u2014 Climate activists with the Quebec chapter of Extinction Rebellion were arrested on Tuesday after they scaled the structure of Montreal’s Jacques Cartier Bridge, forcing authorities to close traffic as they mounted an operation to get them down.<\/p>\n
Three activists climbed onto the bridge over the St. Lawrence river at about 6 a.m. and were up there for a few hours before surrendering without incident.<\/p>\n
Quebec provincial police say two women, ages 32 and 40, and a 47-year-old man were arrested. They met with investigators and were released on a promise to appear in court on Oct. 24, where they could face charges of mischief and conspiracy, police said.<\/p>\n
In a video from the bridge published on the group’s Facebook page, one of the climbers said she was there to protest government inaction on climate change and draw attention to the \u201cwar effort\u201d needed to stave off a global environmental disaster.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, we’re ready to take an action that seems extreme, but for us it seems like a realistic action,\u201d said the woman, who wore a harness and hard hat as she stood on the bridge’s structure.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe have to disrupt the day-to-day, because it’s the day-to-day that’s killing us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman said the banner she carried read \u201cWe are 500,000\u201d \u2014 a reference to attendance numbers given by the organizers of a recent Montreal climate march.<\/p>\n
Police gradually had to block off lanes on the bridge before shutting it completely about 90 minutes after the protest began.<\/p>\n
A specialized Montreal fire department unit climbed the structure to ensure the protesters’ safety and persuade them to come down.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the group said its aim is to press governments to accept the climate crisis and make policy in line with existing scientific data.<\/p>\n
The protest caused massive traffic snarls, as the span is a major link between Montreal and its suburbs to the south. Traffic was restored just after 8:30 a.m.<\/p>\n
Quebec Transport Minister Francois Bonnardel spoke out to condemn the activists who \u201ctook drivers hostage.<\/p>\n