Video: Trucker protest in Ottawa escalates as police clash with Freedom Convoy demonstrators, 150 arrested as authorities retake Parliament Hill area
The Freedom Convoy protests have been happening in Ottawa for three weeks, but clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators escalated on Friday and into Saturday.
The Ottawa Police Department said on Friday, "Protesters are assaulting officers, have attempted to remove officer’s weapons. All means of de-escalation have been used to move forward in our goal of returning Ottawa to its normalcy."
The Ottawa Police added, "The protesters continued their assaultive behavior with the police line, to prevent an escalation or further injury, mounted officers were sent in to create critical space between the police line and protesters. This is done to create a safe distance."
However, mounted police charged into a crowd of demonstrators on Friday, knocking down at least two people, including an elderly woman on a mobility scooter.
WATCH: Close up of peaceful protestors in Ottawa protesting mandates being trampled by the mounted unit.\n\nYes, this is Canada in 2022.pic.twitter.com/I776GdTIwe— K2\ud83c\udf41\ud83d\ude9b (@K2\ud83c\udf41\ud83d\ude9b) 1645225843
Overhead photo of police on horseback facing off with protesters in Ottawa today \n @Brett_Gundlock \n\nhttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/gallery-in-photos-ottawa-police-say-action-imminent-to-remove-truck-convoy/\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/iJr5nHA6E1— Matt Frehner (@Matt Frehner) 1645228231
The Ottawa Police claimed that "no one has been seriously injured or passed away in any of today's police actions." One officer reportedly had a minor injury.
Early Friday night, the Ottawa Police announced that it had arrested over 100 people and towed 21 vehicles.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Friday, "There are indications we are now starting to see progress."
Interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell added, "We're in control of the situation on the ground and continue to push forward to clear our streets. We will work day and night until this is completed."
On Saturday morning, the Ottawa Police said its officers would be using helmets and batons.
PROTESTORS: We told you to leave. We gave you time to leave. We were slow and methodical, yet you were assaultive and aggressive with officers and the horses. Based on your behaviour, we are responding by including helmets and batons for our safety.
By noon, the Ottawa and Gatineau Police closed the Chaudières Bridge to "prevent an influx of protesters into Ottawa for everyone's safety." The Chaudière Bridge crosses the Ottawa River about half of a mile west of Parliament Hill.
According to the Associated Press, police "aggressively pushed back protesters" and retook the streets in front of Canada's Parliament building from the Freedom Convoy protesters.
Police surge against the freedom protestors in Ottawa, forcing them towards Parliament Hill.\n\nFootage by @PuffinsPicturespic.twitter.com/aBXmpuPFoR— The Post Millennial (@The Post Millennial) 1645281490
This is the scene in front of Parliament Hill right now. Police are aggressively pushing forward. We are nearly in front of Peace Tower now. #cdnpolipic.twitter.com/22f241zHdL— Rachel Emmanuel (@Rachel Emmanuel) 1645284656
As the protesters were being driven away from Parliament Hill, demonstrators sang, "O' Canada."
Freedom protestors sing O Canada as police drive them away from Parliament Hill.\n\nFootage by @PuffinsPicturespic.twitter.com/YRm3onH8DH— The Post Millennial (@The Post Millennial) 1645290028
CTV anchor Graham Richardson said authorities had retaken Wellington Street and the area surrounding Parliament Hill by noon.
Ottawa Police admitted that they used "a chemical irritant in an effort to stop the assaultive behavior and for officer safety."
On Saturday, the New York Times reported, "Canadian police officers advanced on demonstrators at gunpoint, smashing truck windows and arresting protesters in front of the country’s Parliament building, an aggressive escalation in the government's effort to finally end the protests that have roiled the nation’s capital for three weeks."
The New York Times acknowledged that the trucker protest has been overwhelmingly peaceful, "The protests had been by and large nonviolent, evoking the atmosphere of a carnival. But they ensnarled traffic across the capital, disrupted business, and annoyed residents with incessant honking. Organizers inflated bouncy castles in the street, and people brought small children and dogs. D.J.s spun music from flatbed trucks-turned stages. At one point people soaked in a hot tub erected in front of the Parliament building."
By 1 p.m., Ottawa Police said that they had arrested 47 on Saturday and towed 38 vehicles.
The major crackdown of the protest occurred after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act earlier this week, which enabled law enforcement to set up a secure zone with roughly 100 checkpoints, suspend driver's licenses, and freeze bank accounts of protesters.
On Thursday, police arrested key leaders of the Freedom Convoy – Tamara Lich and Chris Barber.
Key Freedom Convoy leaders arrested as police establish 100 checkpoints in Ottawa to clamp down on trucker protest
Key leaders of the Freedom Convoy were arrested on Thursday by police in Ottawa. Tamara Lich and Chris Barber – prominent organizers of the Canadian trucker protest – were seen being taken into custody by police.
According to the Ottawa Police, Barber was charged with counseling to commit the offense of mischief, counseling to commit the offense of disobey court order (s. 127), and counseling to commit the offense of obstruct police. Lich has been charged with counseling to commit the offense of mischief.
Barber – one of the leaders of the Freedom Convoy and a truck driver from Saskatchewan – was seen on video being arrested in Ottawa.
BREAKING: Freedom Convoy protest organizer Chris Barber got arrested in Ottawa as he was walking down the street. \n\nhttp://ConvoyReports.com\u00a0pic.twitter.com/6Itq8ypRKR— Yanky \ud83d\udc0a \ud83d\ude9a\ud83d\ude9b\ud83d\ude9c (@Yanky \ud83d\udc0a \ud83d\ude9a\ud83d\ude9b\ud83d\ude9c) 1645139730
Video shows Lich being arrested without incident. As she is being taken into custody, Lich tells the other protesters, "Hold the line!"
Tamara Lich has been arrested, but we will continue to #holdthelinepic.twitter.com/GaPZdsrhVe— FreedomConvoy2022 (@FreedomConvoy2022) 1645150171
Both Barber and Lich understood that they were at risk of being arrested for participating in the protest against vaccine mandates.
On Tuesday, Barber said, "We'll follow any direction of law enforcement. We've said it right from day one: If you're confronted by a police officer and the handcuffs come out, put your hands behind your back. Take it like a man. I've never been arrested by police. I've never had handcuffs on … If that comes, I'll be the first guy to get arrested."
An emotional Lich shared a video on Wednesday night, where she acknowledged that she would be taken to jail, but said she was "okay with that."
"I want you to know that I'm not afraid," Lich said in the video posted to social media.
"Just please stay peaceful and take care of each other," Lich tells the other Freedom Convoy protesters. "And know this too will pass."
"And there will be a tomorrow, and we will get through this," Lich said. "The only way this is going to succeed is if we always come from a place of love."
"I pray and I hope that you make your choices from love," she continued. "You have to know that they're trying to provoke us."
Lich – who launched the GoFundMe campaign that raised over $10 million for the Freedom Convoy before the crowdfunding website shut it down – also claimed that her personal bank account had been frozen.
The head of the Freedom Convoy, @Tamara_MVC, is preparing to be arrested. "I think it is inevitable. I want you to know that I am not afraid. Stay peaceful, and please take care of each other." \nIf Canada is ever governed by a non-tyrant, Tamara deserves the Order of Canada.pic.twitter.com/5Dzoe0gwcg— Keean Bexte (@Keean Bexte) 1645118411
True North journalist Andrew Lawton said, "All of the demonstrators I spoke to yesterday were unfazed by the arrests of organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber. 'Hold the line' is still the rallying cry."
On Wednesday, the Ottawa Police issued a notice regarding actions that could be taken against demonstrators involved in the trucker convoy protest that is in its third week.
"The Ottawa Police Service wants to inform you that under provincial and federal legislation, you will face severe penalties if you do not cease further unlawful activity and remove your vehicle and/or property immediately from all unlawful protest sites," the warning states. "You may be arrested and charged with criminal offenses including but not limited to mischief, and potentially charged with a variety of other non-criminal offenses."
The Ottawa Police threatened demonstrators that their vehicles and property could be seized, their driver's license could be suspended or terminated, and "personal or business bank accounts, including virtual currency, may be subject to examination and restriction." The bulletin also warned that anyone who brings a minor to an "unlawful protest site" faces fines of up to $5,000 and prison sentences of up to five years.
On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau enacted the Emergencies Act for the first time in the country's history in an effort to quell the trucker protests.
Canada's Department of Justice explains the Emergencies Act:
The Actcontains a specific definition of “national emergency” that makes clear how serious a situation needs to be before the Act can be relied upon. A national emergency is an urgent, temporary and critical situation that seriously endangers the health and safety of Canadians or that seriously threatens the ability of the Government of Canada to preserve the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Canada. It must be a situation that cannot be effectively dealt with by the provinces and territories, or by any other law of Canada.
On Thursday, the Ottawa Police announced that under the Emergencies Act, "the Unified Command in control of policing in Ottawa has established a Secured Area to ensure that individuals comply with the Emergency Measures Regulations and to ensure designated places (Parliament, Government buildings, critical infrastructure etc) are protected."
Here\u2019s a look at the secure area OPS are setting up. 100 checkpoints through according to police. \n\nBronson to the canal, Queensway to Parliament \n#Ottawa #OttNewspic.twitter.com/IJTj2UCjoE— Colton Praill (@Colton Praill) 1645131728
Police established checkpoints to verify the identity of anyone attempting to access the secured area. Only people who work or live in the area, "peace officers," and employees of the Canadian government can gain access to the secured area.
“The secured area included almost 100 checkpoints that will have police presence to ensure that those seeking entry to that secure area for unlawful reasons such as joining a protest cannot enter the downtown core,” Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell said on Thursday during a press conference.
"In the last few days we have been communicating with unlawful protesters," Bell continued. "We have told them they must leave. We want to end this unlawful protest peacefully. We are prepared to employ lawful techniques to remove them from our streets."
Police in Ottawa have set up checkpoints all around the city to ask people where they are going.pic.twitter.com/9ByePAIjvw— Marie Oakes (@Marie Oakes) 1645195755
\u201cThis is now a secure area\u201d.\n\nPolice checkpoint at Metcalfe/Laurier in Ottawa. It seems they are only allowing drivers to pass if they live in the area or for work/medical purposes. \n\nhttp://ConvoyReports.com\u00a0pic.twitter.com/JSzpRfdrhb— Lincoln Jay (@Lincoln Jay) 1645148082
Ottawa Police issued a warning on Friday morning, "DEMONSTRATORS: You must leave. You must cease further unlawful activity and immediately remove your vehicle and/or property from all unlawful protest sites. Anyone within the unlawful protest site may be arrested."
DEMONSTRATORS: You must leave. You must cease further unlawful activity and immediately remove your vehicle and/or property from all unlawful protest sites. Anyone within the unlawful protest site may be arrested.pic.twitter.com/txDattNRE4— Ottawa Police (@Ottawa Police) 1645196581
Ottawa police are ticketing Freedom Convoy protesters, warning them to leave or face arrest
Canadian truckers and other Freedom Convoy demonstrators are being ticketed by Ottawa police and warned to leave downtown immediately or risk arrest after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seized emergency powers to end the vaccine mandate protest.
Authorities informed the truckers that they could lose their licenses and have their vehicles seized by the government under the Emergencies Act, which Trudeau invoked Monday.
As police handed out tickets, several protesters remained defiant, according to the Associated Press. Some truckers reportedly ripped up leaflets ordering them to leave. Others threw the warning in a toilet put out on the street, while still others remained in their trucks and continued to honk their horns.
"I will never go home!" one demonstrator shouted.
The protesters are reportedly preparing to be removed by force, but police have not indicated if or when they will take such action.
For three weeks now, the Freedom Convoy protesters have log-jammed downtown Ottawa with thousands of trucks, while elsewhere protesters have attempted to form blockades at border crossings between the U.S. and Canada. The movement began as a protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates imposed on truckers who cross the border for work but won broad support from those opposed to coronavirus restrictions generally and Trudeau's leadership the pandemic.
While the protests appear to be mostly peaceful, Ottawa residents have complained about being inconvenienced by the inability to access downtown, and some have reported they were harassed or intimidated by demonstrators.
Trudeau has called the protests "illegal" and variously referred to the demonstrators as racists, sexists, extremists, and fringe. After invoking emergency powers on Monday, Trudeau gave police greater authority to make arrests and impose fines on the protesters, whom he accused of engaging in "illegal and dangerous activities."
Authorities also claimed the power to have financial service providers seize funds donated to support the protests without a court order to do so.
With their enhanced powers, Ottawa police are reportedly "optimistic" they can regain control of downtown and remove the estimated 360 vehicles that remain, down from a high of about 4,000.
The police appear to be using the same tactics they used to clear the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario to Detroit, Michigan. Police there had distributed leaflets warning those participating in the blockade that they would be arrested unless they ceased and desisted.
Once enough of the protesters had left the area, police arrested those dozens that remained and cleared the blockade.
Brutal video shows cops accosting tiny elderly man during Freedom Convoy protests. His ‘crime’? ‘I just gave the trucker a thumbs-up and a honk’
Video captured the moment Canadian police handcuffed a 4'10" 78-year-old great-grandfather during the Freedom Convoy for reportedly daring to honk his horn.
What are the details?
Video captured the moment an unnamed officer approached the man, who was sitting inside his vehicle on the side of the road.
According to a report from the Toronto Sun, 78-year-old Gerry Charlebois was driving near the main Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa when he saw a trucker.
Charlebois said he honked his horn and showed the trucker the thumbs-up hand gesture out of respect for the ongoing protests.
“I meant no harm,” Charlebois told the outlet. “I just gave the trucker a thumbs-up and a honk.”
Honking, however — as the officer in the video made painfully clear — is not permitted and, in Charlebois' case, resulted in a $118 bylaw ticket for "unnecessary noise."
“I was in shock,” Charlebois recalled of the moment he realized he was being pulled over. “When (the police) pulled me over, he told me I was in trouble for honking the horn. ... He just p***ed me off when he said that about the honking. It upset me."
What happened then?
In the video, which has been widely viewed across various social media platforms, the officer can seen demanding that Charlebois provide identification.
Charlebois then exits his vehicle in order to retrieve his wallet from the back of his minivan to comply with the officer's demands, but things deteriorate from there.
A bystander can be heard heard off-camera demanding the officer stop badgering the elderly man and advising Charlebois to refuse compliance.
Charlebois, who appears to be confused or conflicted at this point, then appears to walk away from the officer, prompting the officer to grab the elderly man by his arm, twisting it behind his back in a hold.
The elderly man then falls hard onto one knee as the officer — along with a second responding officer — handcuffs him.
What else?
Charlebois' family said that their loved one didn't deserve the officer's rough treatment.
“He’s just 4-foot-10,” his son Steve told the Sun. “He wouldn’t hurt anybody.”
His other son, Gerald, added, "I find it disgusting. There was no need to be so rough with him."
Charlebois said he suffered several abrasions and contusions as a result of the detainment.
“I’m so sore,” he told the outlet, showing off cuts and bruises across his arms, hands, shoulder, and knee. “It hurts so much.”
Canadian journalist Joe Warmington shared footage of the exchange and tweeted, "I spoke with him. He’s in pain. He’s 4 foot 10. A retired janitor with 11 grandkids, 4 great grandkids. If this disgraceful treatment of a 78 year old for honking his horn and a thumbs up to a trucker is acceptable to @JustinTrudeau @fordnation @JimWatsonOttawa no one is safe."
I spoke with him. He\u2019s in pain. He\u2019s 4 foot 10. A retired janitor with 11 grandkids, 4 great grandkids. If this disgraceful treatment of a 78 year old for honking his horn and a thumbs up to a trucker is acceptable to @JustinTrudeau @fordnation @JimWatsonOttawa no one is safe.https://twitter.com/notrucks_nofood/status/1490720620992249857\u00a0\u2026— Joe Warmington (@Joe Warmington) 1644320021
Freedom Convoy: Video shows Ottawa police seize fuel; mayor declares state of emergency and says city is 'losing this battle'
Canadian authorities began cracking down on the Freedom Convoy this weekend. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency on Sunday in an effort to contain truckers who have protested peacefully in Canada's capital.
“Declaring a state of emergency reflects the serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents posed by the ongoing demonstrations and highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government,” the city said in a statement. “It also provides greater flexibility within the municipal administration to enable the City of Ottawa to manage business continuity for essential services for its residents and enables a more flexible procurement process, which could help purchase equipment required by frontline workers and first responders.”
Watson said that Ottawa was “outnumbered” and “losing the battle” against the truckers' protest.
“The situation at this point is completely out of control, because the individuals with the protest are calling the shots," Watson said on Sunday. "They have far more people than we have police officers, and I’ve indicated to the chief that we have to be much more nimble and proactive when it comes to these activities.”
“It should have ended days ago, there’s no question about that," the mayor continued. "The nerves of the residents, particularly in the downtown core, are frayed beyond belief. They are suffering, and the protesters do not seem to have any understanding of how insensitive they are, blaring horns and sirens and fireworks, and turning it into a party. … Bringing in bouncy castles and saunas and hot tubs is the height of irresponsibility.”
“Clearly, we are outnumbered and we are losing this battle right now,” Watson said. “This has to be reversed; we have to get our city back.”
"The state of emergency gives our staff and our city a few extra tools to speed up things like procurement," he told the CBC News Network on Sunday night.
"We're in the midst of a serious emergency, the most serious emergency our city has ever faced, and we need to cut the red tape to get these supplies available to our police officers and to our public works staff," Watson said.
Watson added that the city had 60 new RCMP officers sworn in on Saturday to help contain the trucker protest.
Around 2 p.m. on Sunday, the Ottawa Police Department declared that anyone providing fuel and materials supporting the truckers can be arrested.
"Anyone attempting to bring material supports (gas, etc.) to the demonstrators could be subject to arrest. Enforcement is underway," the Ottawa Police tweeted.
IMPORTANT: Anyone attempting to bring material supports (gas, etc.) to the demonstrators could be subject to arrest. Enforcement is underway. #ottawa #ottnewspic.twitter.com/tp4e5d2xe1— Ottawa Police (@Ottawa Police) 1644173572
Ottawa Police dismantled the trucker convoy's logistics camp, and confiscated propane tanks and fuel.
There is a long row of tow trucks at the ready to remove transport trucks \nI see 30 police officers dismantling the logistics camppic.twitter.com/LXWPv7tFcg— Judy Trinh (@Judy Trinh) 1644194339
Right now police with help of fire dept seem focused on removing the gas and propane tankspic.twitter.com/Sm2I5ZjJsn— Judy Trinh (@Judy Trinh) 1644195605
Section 8 of the Charter of Rights reads \u201cEveryone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure.\u201d Without a search warrant, this is just theft. Governments are used to violating our privacy now, aren\u2019t they? And the media love it.pic.twitter.com/UOYAK6OoF8— Ezra Levant \ud83c\udf41 (@Ezra Levant \ud83c\udf41) 1644197218
Shortly after 9 p.m., the Ottawa Police Service announced that it had "made multiple arrests in relation to several enforcement actions" in regards to the trucker protest. The Ottawa Police also said, "Multiple vehicles and fuel have been seized."
"More than 100 Highway Traffic Act and other Provincial Offence Notices were issued including excessive honking, driving the wrong way, defective muffler, no seat belt, alcohol readily available and having the improper class of driving license," the announcement reads. "There are over 60 criminal investigations so far related to the demonstration. They are primarily for mischief, thefts, hate crimes, and property damage."
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