(OTTAWA) Police are considering several strategies, including force, to dislodge protesters who have paralyzed downtown Ottawa since Friday. Several hundred vehicles are now gone, but another wave is preparing for next weekend.
Updated at 12:23 a.m.
“I can’t say if it will be hundreds, 1,000 or 10,000 people, but we know people want the protest to continue this week and into next weekend,” the Ottawa police chief said. , Peter Sloly, at a press conference on Monday afternoon.
“It is a very fluid, very dynamic and large-scale situation, so we are facing dangerous circumstances,” he added.
Ottawa Police Chief and Mayor Jim Watson repeatedly said there were no deaths, no injuries and no riots over the weekend as the situation had the potential to escalate .
Police took a “de-escalation” approach to avoid provoking protesters. Only one person was arrested. Twelve investigations were opened.
“The scale of the protest has diminished over the past 12 hours and we want this trend to continue until it ends,” Sloly said. I cannot guarantee this at this time, but I can guarantee that all efforts at negotiation, de-escalation and coordination will continue until the protest comes to a complete end. »
He later admitted that the organizers did not represent all of the people who converged on Ottawa and that they are not in a position to control them.
At the end of the day Monday, the horns were still sounding, but the streets of Ottawa were far from being crowded like Saturday and Sunday.
The mayor said he understood the exasperation of downtown residents, many irritated by the noise and disruption caused by the demonstration. Some public transit routes are impassable and the Rideau Mall was still closed on Monday.
Officers will soon be redeployed to their respective neighborhoods, but a strong police presence will remain downtown. The Ottawa police have also set up a hotline for the public to report any crime, including hate crimes, assaults and threats.
No matter where you live, no matter where your vehicle is registered, if you came here and committed a crime or a hate crime, you will be investigated. We will find you and you will be brought to justice.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly
The Ottawa police receive assistance from several police forces, including the Ontario Provincial Police, the Sûreté du Québec, the Gatineau police and other Ontario municipal police forces.
How to remove the trucks?
“Each day that passes, each hour that passes plays in the favor of the police in the sense that it allows them to refine their scenario,” notes retired inspector from the Montreal Police Service André Durocher.
Police services are facing quite a challenge: that of removing heavy trucks parked on several kilometers of streets. They must secure enough trailers, dozens, to be able to proceed and anticipate the reaction of truckers, which could be passive or aggressive, depending on the case. They must also consider the repercussions that this operation could have on other police forces.
“What will be the impact on the roads? gives Mr. Durocher as an example. And do our partners from other police services have their strategy or are they aware if we are intervening? What will be the impact on their network? That’s a lot to plan and think about. The police also need to ensure they have enough manpower to move forward.
Over the days, fatigue will begin to set in among the demonstrators, and the less radical will leave on their own. And the awakening could be hard for those who stay, since they risk ending up with a salty towing bill.