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Police have removed all of the pipeline opponents who had been suspended from the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge for nearly a day-and-a-half.

On Tuesday morning, seven people rappelled from the bridge’s superstructure and spent the day and night suspended from the span, while five others supported them from the bridge.

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Shortly before 3 p.m. on Wednesday, North Vancouver RCMP said they were working to apprehend the Greenpeace group, which opposes construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

After discussions between senior officers, RCMP took over the situation from the Vancouver Police Department on Tuesday evening.

“Public safety is the priority, both for the protesters and the police,” the Mounties said in a tweet.

RCMP spokesman Cpl. Richard De Jong said the decision to finally remove the protesters was made “through ongoing overall risk assessment.”

The decision was not related to the fact that several tankers were scheduled to travel under the bridge on Wednesday and had been delayed by the protest, he said.