The Peace Arch border crossing between Vancouver and Seattle was closed for over 6 hours yesterday as over 3000 people demonstrated against the FTAA. Eight people were arrested after refusing to remove themselves from the roadway.

Peace Arch International Park was the scene of the largest B.C. demonstration in recent history as over 3000 people participated in the 'March to the Arch' in solidarity with the anti-FTAA protests in Quebec City. A very diverse group of citizens gathered under sunny skies to listen to speakers and singers. The police presence was large with hundreds of officers from both the US and Canada on hand to stop anyone trodding on the daisies.

Speeches filled the earlier part of the day, interspersed by music and the Radical Cheerleaders. Not the most exciting thing going but it was still pretty nice. The highlight was out-going NDP Deputy Premier Joy McPhail getting clipped by a banana cream pie tossed by one of many of her devoted admirers. Her demand that it be tried again was unfortunately not realized.

The crowd moved out to the Peace Arch at around 2 PM and the entire lawn surrounding the Arch was filled with colour and sound. The words 'children of a common mother' engraved on the top of the arch seem to have special signifigance today. After taking the highway, the main highway linking Canada and the US on the West Coast, the march went up to and around the Canadian customs area and then looped around to march back to the American customs post.

Thousands marched together and eventually the main group headed back to the stage area while a few hundred people faced off against several lines of American cops and militia and various thugs. At 4 PM the American authorities announced their intention to open the roadway and some tense moments ensued. Union officials told the crowd to disperse several times, before leaving the scene.

At around 4:30 protesters left the American border and gathered on the roadway directly beside the Peace Arch. Several hundred people staged a sit-in and an impromptu council began. After an hour and a half the police moved in en masse and advised people to remove themselves from the road or face arrest. Eight people remained on the road and were arrested for 'unlawful assembly' by the Canadian police. Riot police moved in to protect the bus taking away the prisoners and aggressively pushed and punched people standing on the grass adjacent to the roadway. There was no means of identifying individual officers.

After the bus took away the eight arrestees the crowd dispersed and the first car crossed the border at around 7 PM.