Ottawa police have so far arrested more than 100 people and towed 21 vehicles in a massive operation Friday to dismantle an anti-government protest that has paralyzed Parliament Hill and the federal capital’s downtown core for more than three weeks.
Ottawa Police Service Acting Chief Steve Bell said Friday the operation was “methodical” and police were in control of the area, but he said clearing the area would take time.
The police had started to intervene Thursday evening, setting up a hundred checkpoints, to create a “secure zone”, and arresting the main organizers. Scores of other police, including Sûreté du Québec officers, descended on downtown Friday morning, some dressed in riot gear and holding what appeared to be tear gas canisters.
Supported by mounted and rooftop officers, lines of police slowly advanced on an intersection just east of Parliament Hill, isolating a group of protesters. Police issued loudspeaker warnings before officers moved forward intermittently, repelling dozens of protesters, some of whom tied their arms or lay down in resistance while others hurled insults or attempted to escape.
In the evening, the situation heated up. Mounted police suddenly charged at a large group of protesters facing a line of police near the Senate House in an apparent effort to move the crowd towards Wellington Street. Many in the shocked crowd ran, some shouting that they were being trampled.
Ottawa Police said on Twitter that “protesters continued to be aggressive with the police line. To prevent further escalation or injury, officers on horseback were sent to the scene to create critical space between the police line and the protesters. »
While this was happening, according to police, a bicycle was thrown at the feet of one of the horses in an attempt to injure him. A person has been arrested for intentionally injuring a police animal.
“The protesters assaulted the officers and attempted to take their weapons away. All means of de-escalation have been used to move forward in our goal of returning Ottawa to normal,” the police department wrote on Twitter.
Chief Bell said police are still urging protesters to leave peacefully, but those arrested have been charged with various offenses including mischief.
In the evening, the police indicated on Twitter that “no one was seriously injured or died in connection with the police interventions today”.
Interim chief says no need to call Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa, but says he’s ‘shocked and surprised’ to see children in danger .
Later in the evening, a journalist was pushed by a demonstrator while presenting his report live on LCN. Shortly after, executive producer Maxime Landry wrote on Twitter: “My fellow reporter Raymond Filion is correct. We just spoke to him. The gesture he suffered this evening is unacceptable. The police are notified. »
Arrest of the organizers
One of the figureheads of the “freedom convoy”, Pat King, was arrested on Friday. He himself posted a video of his arrest live on social media. In this video, a police officer informs him that he is under arrest for advising to commit mischief, advising to disobey a court order and advising to obstruct the work of the police.
Two other protest organizers, Chris Barber and Tamara Lich, were arrested on Thursday. They were due to appear on Friday for advising others to commit mischief. Chris Barber was also charged with advising to disobey a court order and advising to obstruct police work.
A judge of the Ontario Court of Justice said Friday night that bail could be granted to Mr. Barber. Judge Julie Bourgeois released him on a $100,000 bond and on the conditions that he leave Ontario before February 23, that he not publicly endorse the convoy and that he have no contact with the other main organizers of the demonstration. Ms. Lich is due in the Ottawa courtroom on Saturday morning and was expected to spend the night in jail pending her bail hearing.
Mr King, Ms Lich and other organizers of the so-called ‘freedom convoy’ also had their bank accounts – including bitcoin and cryptocurrency funds – temporarily frozen following a decision by the Ontario Superior Court on Thursday.
Some protesters said they came to Ottawa simply to demand the lifting of health measures, but others, including those who claimed to be leading the convoy, demanded the overthrow of the Liberal government.
“Secured area”
Police vehicles’ flashing lights flickered at several intersections early Friday morning as officers stationed on dozens of street corners checked any vehicles trying to enter a ‘safe zone’, which spans several blocks of houses, south of the parliament.
In bitter cold after an overnight snowstorm, protesters on Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill huddled around campfires lit in tents as the engines of trucks clogging downtown town for weeks had been idling.
In a Facebook Live post earlier Friday morning before his arrest, Pat King called on protesters to march to Parliament Hill. He also asked them to place the trucks in front of the tow trucks to prevent them from moving vehicles. Mr King threatened to find out which companies belong to the drivers of the tow trucks, which he says are committing “professional suicide”.
Lyndsay Kruisselbrink, who was on her third trip to the Ottawa protest and planned to stay until Monday, said the mood among attendees was “very calm”, adding that everyone was happy with “a lot of love “.
Shortly after, Ottawa police issued a new warning that another round of arrests had begun, before tow trucks arrived at the east end of downtown Ottawa to begin trailing the vehicles.
Collective action
A class action on behalf of thousands of downtown Ottawa residents is seeking millions of dollars in damages for the noise and severe disruption caused by the protest.
The protest in Ottawa quickly spread to other parts of the country, disrupting business and trade amid concerns that far-right extremists and hate groups were trying to use the protests to advance their ideological agendas. .
Police began clearing protesters in southern Ontario, Alberta and elsewhere earlier this week. Ottawa police, working closely with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Ontario Provincial Police, began arresting key members of the convoy on Thursday.
Ottawa’s police chief had resigned on Wednesday amid heavy criticism of the state of lawlessness downtown.