Demonstration in Ottawa | ‘Don’t come to our downtown area,’ police say

Police began making targeted arrests late Thursday at 21^and day of the demonstration that paralyzed downtown Ottawa. The interventions did not dampen the enthusiasm of the demonstrators, who remain convinced that the police “are on their side” and that they “will never put an end” to the convoy.

Melanie Marquis
The Press

Mylene Crete
The Press

Alice Girard-Bosse
The Press

Daniel Renaud
The Press

Florentina Deaconu, sitting in her car parked in front of parliament, is unshakable. “The police are our brothers and our sisters. They ensure our safety. They’re never gonna end [au convoi]. It’s the new reality now, ”says the Montrealer who arrived in the capital 22 days ago. She hasn’t moved since.

A few meters further, Dave Subranni, responsible for a tent which distributes coffee and hot chocolates to the demonstrators, agrees. “The police are on our side. They have nothing against us. We just give each other hugs,” he says.

Officers from the Sûreté du Québec, the Ontario Provincial Police and other police forces came to lend a hand to the local police on Thursday. Two key organizers of the “freedom convoy” were arrested at the end of the day. The police first apprehended Chris Barber. Subsequently, they arrested Tamara Lich. The Ottawa Police Service had not confirmed their arrest Thursday evening, but images and videos of the two scenes were relayed on social networks.

Other protesters were arrested. The forces of order thus seemed to proceed surgically through the crowd, moving in groups. But they were much less visible as night fell, as snowflakes began to waltz across the Ottawa sky and the wind picked up over the capital.

At the end of the evening, the occupants of a truck voluntarily left Wellington Street, escorted by the police. A crowd of protesters followed the heavyweight, shouting “Freedom! “. One of them reached out the window of the vehicle to offer the driver a $20 bill.

Putting the plan into action

Shortly before the operation began, Acting Ottawa Police (OPS) Chief Steve Bell announced that law enforcement was preparing to put their plan into action to end the ” illegal demonstration” in the streets of the city center. “We have increased our resources, we have developed clear plans, and we are preparing to act,” he said at a press conference. Intervention is imminent. »

In the streets of the capital, metal barriers have been erected to protect parliamentary buildings. A perimeter has also been erected around the city center and the police have created a secure zone that stretches for several kilometers, with more than a hundred checkpoints to prevent other protesters from joining the ranks of those who are already there.

Acting Chief Steve Bell addressed the protesters directly. “Don’t come to our downtown area,” he said. We’ve had enough of what’s going on there, we’ve had enough of what’s on our streets, so go away. »

Residents of the neighborhood and people who work there will be able to access the perimeter and move freely, assured Chief Bell. “We are committed to giving you back your streets and getting things back to normal,” he said. Those who want to leave the secure area can do so at any time. “We want to end this illegal protest peacefully and safely,” he continued.

He would not specify how many trucks the police hoped to be able to remove during this operation, but indicated that he saw “no problem with the capacity to remove the vehicles”.

Warnings

Police have issued several warnings since Wednesday asking protesters to leave. Violators face fines of up to $5,000 and up to five years in prison, depending on the seriousness of the offence.

“They came to give me the paper, but I’m not doing anything illegal. I don’t think it’s illegal to give hot chocolate to small children,” says Dave Subranni.

“Besides, the letter wasn’t even signed. That means it’s not official, ”adds his friend Claude Guay, from Oka, at his side. The two men do not intend to leave anytime soon. “I don’t feel like going back to sitting in my living room,” says Mr. Subranni.

The organizers of the “freedom convoy” published an open letter on social networks Thursday addressed to elected officials. They demand the end of compulsory vaccination and the vaccination passport. “Many of us have nothing to lose,” they wrote. It is our lineage traced in the sand. »

The SQ arrives as reinforcements

Agents from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) came to swell the police ranks in Ottawa. Sources within the SQ confirmed to The Press that the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) had requested the assistance of the SQ and other police forces in order to support the Ottawa police tasked with liberating the nation’s capital from a blockade of demonstrators opposed to the measures sanitary facilities for three weeks now.

Specialists in demonstrations and crowd control, and emergency teams from the Sûreté du Québec were dispatched to Ottawa on Thursday and were sworn in to be authorized to act in Ontario.

“There will be very structured and framed interventions in the short term. The police officers of the Sûreté du Québec are used to dealing with demonstrations and our police officers have often demonstrated their expertise,” confided to The Press a police source who requested anonymity as she is not authorized to speak to the media in this specific case.

It is not known how many SQ police officers will be dispatched to Ottawa. On the other hand, the SQ ensures that it has enough manpower to also be present in Quebec, where another demonstration is planned for Saturday.