Shield-Pounding Policemen Tame 200 Bridge Protester
By Don MacKay
Correspondent

CAMPBELLTON: Members of the elite RCMP tactical troops squad brandishing helmets, shields and billyclubs dispersed about 200 demonstrators from the Interprovincial Bridge here without incident Monday morning.

The demonstrators were believed to be part of a crowd estimated at 500 which rampaged through the area Tuesday, overturning cars and burning a weigh station.

The demonstrators - mostly unemployed truck drivers, woodworkers and construction workers - have been trying to block the bridge to prevent Quebecers employed in New Brunswick from crossing into the province.

These out-of-province workers, said to the protesters, are stealing jobs from New Brunswickers, and worse still, they are not required to have work permits while in New Brunswick, while New Brunswickers working in Quebec are required to have such a documents

Yesterday's confrontation began at 8:15 a.m. when 16 tactical troop members marched from the parking lot of the City Centre Mall, striking in cadence on their shields with their billyclubs.

Once in formation on the bridge above the demonstrators, the officer in charge announced through a megaphone, "Please clear the roadway and get off the bridge."

When some in the crowd said they weren't moving, the officer calmly replied, "I'm sorry about that." At that, the demonstrators began to back up gradually.

When about five or six feet separated the tactical police contingent and the demonstrators, the officer gave the order to "march."

The police officers moved forward, again beating on their shields until they came eye-to-eye with the demonstrators a second time.

This continued until the protesters had backed up to the intersection of Water Street and the bridge. Traffic coming over the bridge was re-routed along Waterfront Drive.

At 8:30, the resounding thump of billyclubs beating shields was heard again from the direction of Roseberry and Subway streets as 22 more tactical police officers appeared on the scene.

The second contingent stood at attention, surveying their counterparts 100 feet opposite and the protesters sandwiched in between.

At 8:33 a.m., an officer in charge gave the order to "wheel left," and the 22 newly-arrived police officers slowly retraced their steps, beating on their shields.

This confrontation was enough to discourage the staunchest of the demonstrators, who dispersed moments after the last of the two police units left the scene at about 8:45 a.m.

Staff Sgt. Roy Rushton of the Campbellton RCMP detachment would not say how large the special contingents were.

He did say, however, that the special squads would be kept on hand to use whatever means necessary to quell further protests which, he said, he expected.

In other developments, Julien Aubout (Aubut), 22, of Campbellton, and Philippe Dube, 36, Balmoral, were arrested and charged with obstructing a police officer following two clashes on the bridge Tuesday. Both men were ordered to appear April 11 for election and plea on the charges.

Charges causing property damage are pending against a third person, who has been ordered to appear in Provincial court here next week.