Ottawa police are deploying about 150 additional officers and will set up concrete barricades in areas of the city to “isolate” protesters against COVID-19 health measures who have occupied downtown for a week.
This reinforced police presence aims to send a “clear message” to the demonstrators: “the disorder must end”, said the chief of police, Peter Soly, Friday, during a press conference.
“Our goal is to put an end to the demonstration,” he summed up. However, it is “increasingly volatile and increasingly dangerous”.
Patrollers will focus on dealing with mischief, hate, harassment, threats and other intimidating behavior.
Concrete barriers and heavy equipment will be used to prevent access to the downtown area.
Illegally parked vehicles will be towed and impounded if necessary, Chief Soly warned.
Interprovincial bridges and highway exits may need to be closed.
The number of trucks and demonstrators has already been reduced “significantly”, avoiding “riots, injuries or deaths”, said the police chief.
The main objective of the police is to tackle illegal behavior by protesters, including during parallel demonstrations and counter-demonstrations, he said.
The hatred, violence, illegal acts that have been observed for a week are “unacceptable in all circumstances”, insisted the police chief.
Late Thursday, federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the RCMP had approved Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson’s request to come in and support city police.
Mr. Mendicino said the convoy has caused significant disruption to local residents, including vandalism, harassment, expressions of hatred and violence, and the continued obstruction of many services.
An occupation, says Duclos
The prolonged presence of truckers in Ottawa is no longer a demonstration, but an occupation. This is how the Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, expressed himself on Friday morning, adding that the various demonstrators who refuse to leave are approaching illegality, thus taking up the expression used the watch by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Minister Duclos argued that the protesters’ message was well understood, but now was the time to go home and let the citizens of Ottawa and Gatineau return to normal life.
However, there is no question of abandoning all health measures as demanded by the demonstrators. Canada’s public health officials, Drs Theresa Tam and Howard Njoo, alongside Minister Duclos, argued that the number of cases and hospitalizations were still on the rise in the western provinces.
The number of cases continues to be around 10,000 new infections per day in Canada and, although vaccination is progressing well, it remains incomplete, particularly among 5 to 11 year olds.