Protesters at legislature remain, stay committed following arrests in Ottawa

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This article was published 18/02/2022 (1042 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Demonstrators protesting COVID-19 public health restrictions near the Manitoba legislature say they are willing to leave downtown Winnipeg, but only if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agrees to a meeting.

“We are simply requesting a conversation. We want you to be able to understand who we are and why we are here. We are citizens of Canada who have felt left without a voice,” a statement, issued Saturday, read in part.

As riot police moved in on a so-called “freedom convoy” in Ottawa on Saturday, protesters at an encampment across from the Manitoba Legislative Building felt their resolve strengthen.

Demonstrators who spoke to the Free Press at the site in downtown Winnipeg didn’t view clashes in the nation’s capital as a deterrent.

Instead, they said, the police enforcement has made them even more committed to a campaign which calls on governments to scrap COVID-19 vaccine mandates and public health restrictions.

Waving a Canadian flag and bundled up on a -22 C morning, Steinbach resident Brittany Needham, 26, was disturbed by the scenes in Ottawa.

“I don’t think that either side wants that to happen here at this protest,” she said. “I’d like to think it can (be) a little more peaceful.”

Co-organizer Caleb Brown, 37, said the Winnipeg protest can minimize disruption because it is smaller than the one in Ottawa.

Brown, who spent a few days in Ottawa after joining the convoy as it passed through Manitoba, called the enforcement there “unacceptable.”

Winnipeg protest organizers want a peaceful resolution, he said, and he believes city police want one, too.

Both sides have held talks to reduce noise and traffic disruption for residents and workers.

“It has been a very good working relationship,” said Brown, a carpenter from the Rural Municipality of Springfield.

He described police as a conduit between his team and city hall.

At a press conference Friday, Supt. Dave Dalal said police will not change their current tactics. Chief Danny Smyth said he hopes the situation is resolved in the near future.

As Needham spoke to a reporter at the protest Saturday, supporters driving along Broadway honked their horns, while a handful of opponents shouted obscenities or extended middle fingers through open car windows.

Needham shouted “have a good day” to those hurling insults at the dozen or so demonstrators waving Canadian flags or placards with anti-mandate or anti-restriction messages as a blizzard hit the city.

More demonstrators arrived in the afternoon, despite worsening weather conditions.

Needham said she plans to stop her weekly visits to the protest site when provincial COVID-19 restrictions, including proof of vaccination and face mask requirements, are lifted in March.

She doesn’t feel it’s fair to protest outside the Manitoba government’s seat of power once the only remaining restrictions she opposes are ones imposed by the federal government.

The Winnipeg protest began Feb. 4, a week after a cross-country convoy of truckers and supporters converged on Ottawa, where they have occupied streets outside Parliament.

The national convoy started in response to a federal regulation requiring Canadian truckers arriving from the U.S. to be fully vaccinated to avoid a 14-day quarantine.

It has since morphed into a demonstration against governments and restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the virus, which has killed almost 36,000 people in Canada, including more than 1,600 in Manitoba.

Ottawa’s police service said it had arrested 170 people Friday and Saturday, as officers used force to try to bring an end to the “unlawful” occupation.

As clashes unfolded there, protesters in Winnipeg waved at passing drivers while standing in the median at Broadway and Memorial Boulevard. Giant Canadian and American flags, on poles affixed to semi-trucks, flapped in the wind.

Police officers in a marked cruiser and an unmarked SUV watched from a distance.

“The police have been great here. We’ve been doing our best to follow the rules they have set up,” said Needham. “They haven’t given us any trouble, and we’ve tried our best not to give them any trouble.”

Provincial Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen has backed Winnipeg Police Service’s handling of the protest and encouraged “dialogue.” He previously told the Free Press he is confident police will bring the demonstration to a peaceful end.

City council has instructed the chief administrative officer to explore a court injunction against what Mayor Brian Bowman has called an “unlawful occupation.”

The demonstration’s footprint became smaller Friday following negotiations with police.

Protesters agreed to move their vehicles off Broadway and on to Memorial, which is blocked by semi-trucks, trailers, generators and other vehicles and equipment.

The protest’s early days triggered a barrage of complaints about loud noise, including honking, and traffic disruption.

Following the complaints, demonstrators agreed to limit honking to two minutes at the top of every hour, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The two-minute sessions have since been reduced to twice a day, at 9 a.m. and 6:58 p.m., said organizers.

People who live nearby said the protest hasn’t been as disruptive as it was in the beginning.

A group called Defend Winnipeg, which formed in opposition to the “freedom convoy” and counts downtown residents among its ranks, has urged the demonstrators to go home.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching