On Saturday, police spoke to the public about the continuing trucker Freedom Convoy demonstrations in Ottawa, Canada.
The news conference follows large arrests and tense battles between law authorities and demonstrators, who have now swelled in number to include not just Canadian truck drivers, but also members of the general public and even Americans who have travelled to join the cause.
They were met with a storm of opposition, pushing, and insults. We all watched the demonstrators becoming hostile against the cops, and at one point, we had to deploy horses “At the press conference, Police Chief Steven Bell said. “As a consequence, we added helmets and batons to our kit this morning to ensure the safety of our policemen.
He went on to say, “Our cops continued to confront opposition, and at one point, a protester let off a flare. Officers deployed pepper spray, a chemical irritant, to remove unruly protestors who were defying police commands. We were saddened to see little children being taken to the illegal rally and to the front lines of our police.”
Since late January, Canadian truckers have been demonstrating in Ottawa, demanding an end to COVID-19 rules. For the first time in Canadian history, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act on Monday.
Reporters questioned Bell about reports and footage allegedly depicting violent conflicts between the horse-mounted cops and demonstrators.
“What I can say is that two demonstrators were involved in a collision with the horses. They were knocked out “The reporters were informed by Bell. “They quickly rose to their feet and resumed their protest and demonstration activities. That is one of the situations in which we are monitoring it and detecting this information as rapidly as possible, delivering accurate, real-time information about what is going on on the ground.”
The police chief cautioned against “misinformation” arising from the protests in Ottawa and reassured the public that they would be swift to provide accurate information as soon as it became available.
When asked about allegations of brutal beatings during the demonstrations, including baton injuries to fleeing protestors, the chief emphasised the need of using force to effectively end the rally.
“We will have the chance to evaluate all of those files, as previously stated. If individuals believe that members of our police force are using excessive force, there are complaint processes in place for them to utilise “Bell remarked. He said, “This job is no longer available. We’ve told them that if they leave quietly, they may return home. That is still the case. We also said that if they did not cooperate, we would escalate and physically remove them from the streets. That’s some of what you’re seeing. So I’ll stand here again today and declare that the protest is done. Return to your house. We will take you from the streets if you do not return home.”
On Friday, Ottawa police confirmed the detention of over 100 protestors who had been taking part in weeks-long rallies against the COVID-19 vaccination and mask requirements in Canada.
On Friday night, authorities pulled 21 cars from the streets of Canada’s capital after demonstrators refused to leave some locations around Parliament Hill and seemed to scuffle with police in footage broadcast online.
In an attempt to disperse demonstrators, Ottawa police sent numerous posts on their Twitter page saying, “You must go.” “You must immediately stop any future illegal action and remove your car and/or property from any illegal protest locations. Anyone caught within the illegal protest location might be arrested.”
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