Ottawa police may seek military assistance as ‘Freedom Convoy’ protesters dig in

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This article was published 01/02/2022 (1012 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Canada’s capital is bracing for a resurgence of “Freedom Convoy” demonstrators this weekend — and the possibility that they will be challenged by counter-protesters — as Ottawa’s top cop admits police alone may not be able to resolve a situation that is drifting into an occupation of the city’s downtown core.

Ottawa police Chief Peter Sloly said all options to bring the protest to an end are on the table, including the “extremely rare” step of bringing in the Canadian Armed Forces.

And while that decision would carry significant risks, Sloly said all options to end the protests — from negotiation to enforcement — could lead to riots, injuries and deaths.

“It is not a decision to be taken lightly,” Sloly said during a Wednesday briefing to city officials.

“None of the options create a beautiful, elegant, simple, safe solution. They all come with massive risks, and that option in particular could come with massive risks.”

In a statement Wednesday night, Defence Minister Anita Anand’s office told the Star there are “no plans” for the Canadian Armed Forces to get involved.

“The Canadian Armed Forces are not involved in law enforcement in this situation, and there are no plans for such CAF involvement, said Anand’s press secretary, Daniel Minden.

Sloly’s acknowledgment that police might not be able to end the protests came amid mounting pressure from local politicians and residents, who say they are fed up after six days of demonstrations, with reports of harassment, the appearance of racist symbols and the incessant honking of semi-trucks that have clogged the city’s downtown core.

Meanwhile, the protesters who remain after thousands overtook Parliament Hill last weekend have dug in, declaring they will stay “for as long as it takes” for governments across Canada to lift all health restrictions that have been imposed during the pandemic to slow the spread of COVID-19, a virus that has killed more than 33,000 Canadians so far.

“The responsibility for your inconvenience lies squarely on the shoulders of politicians who have prefer (sic) to vilify and call us names rather than engage in respectful, serious dialogue,” said Chris Barber, a trucker from Saskatchewan and one of the convoy organizers, in a statement published Wednesday.

“We are here and we are not going anywhere until we achieve our objective.”

Protesters showed evidence of settling in for the long haul Wednesday, as hundreds of vehicles remained parked along major thoroughfares. Outside of a downtown LRT station, a group of men served cooked pizza in wood-fired stoves. Across the street from the Supreme Court building, a group of children and adults played ball hockey next to a “Unity Cup” crafted from metal garbage cans to look like the Stanley Cup.

Protesters have also set up a phone-based command centre that is seeking donations for fuel. Some were seen dragging carts of jerry cans to idling vehicles.

Such scenes belied the reports coming from police, including the arrest of a man who allegedly tried to bring a gun to the demonstrations last weekend.

At least three others linked with the protests have been arrested and charged, according to Ottawa police, including a 48-year-old man from Quebec accused of uttering threats on social media, and a 37-year-old man charged with carrying a weapon to a public meeting.

“We have had (an) indication around firearms coming into this jurisdiction as part of this demonstration as much as a week and a half ago,” Sloly said, adding that other items like hockey sticks and flag poles are being considered “weapons of opportunity.”

He noted that the hundreds of heavy vehicles now lining city streets could also be used as weapons.

“Vehicles themselves and trucks represent probably the greatest and most imminent threat,” he said.

Describing the situation as “unique” and extremely complex, Sloly said the protest’s “hundreds if not thousands” of groups and individuals include “a significant element from the United States that have been involved in the funding, the organizing and the demonstrating.”

And while police have made “significant progress” in reducing the number of demonstrators, Sloly said Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms prevents police from restricting all access to the downtown core.

Ottawa residents, however, are increasingly calling for law enforcement to stop the protests that have paralyzed the city. As of Wednesday evening, more than 16,300 people had signed a petition calling on police to “evict” the convoy trucks and protesters.

Deputy chief Steve Bell said officials are expecting an increase in the number of vehicles and protesters travelling on foot this weekend.

In a rare display of unity, nearly all of Ottawa’s city councillors criticized the police response to the demonstrations.

Councillor Catherine McKenney, who represents the Centretown neighbourhood that has borne the brunt of the chaos, pleaded with city officials Wednesday to allow the RCMP to take control of the situation.

“I hear no urgency today to what is happening to residents in their neighbourhood. It is not just disruptive and difficult, it is violent and terrorizing,” McKenney told Sloly and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson.

“We need the federal RCMP to take over the full lead for what is happening on Parliament Hill and Wellington … You can request it, and I beg you to request it.”

Sloly responded that the request was not possible to fulfil, but urged the public to report incidents of harassment to police so they can investigate. At the same time, he noted the city’s 911 service was being flooded with “nuisance calls” from people asking where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is and whether the operators believe in vaccines.

Criticisms are also mounting as some community advocates question why police have previously taken a more heavy-handed approach for much smaller demonstrations.

In November 2020, 12 protesters were arrested for gathering for less than three days at a single intersection in downtown Ottawa in support of Black and Indigenous people.

Robin Browne, co-leader of 613-819 Black Hub, a Black advocacy group, called it a double standard.

“They will bring in armed police officers to arrest 12 people, Black and Indigenous people, who are protesting very peacefully, whereas we have folks who are running around with Confederate flags and swastikas and the police are saying they can’t do anything,” he told the Star.

On Wednesday Hull—Aylmer MP Greg Fergus stood in the House of Commons and decried the presence of Confederate flags on Parliament Hill.

“I will assume that the Confederate flag was tolerated this weekend out of respect for individuals’ freedom of expression. However, in my heart, I was left wondering who else supports this flag? Without real time denunciations, how am I to know? That’s what scares me,” Fergus said.

Watson said the demonstration’s organizers now need to show some “backbone” and cut off their protest, arguing their message against COVID-19 restrictions has been delivered.

“If they’re concerned about our city and they give a damn about our city, move on and stop harassing our people,” he said. “This has gone on for too long.”

Alex Ballingall is an Ottawa-based reporter covering federal politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @aballinga

Raisa Patel is an Ottawa-based reporter covering federal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @R_SPatel