Ottawa mayor condemns desecration of National War Memorial, Terry Fox statue
Ottawa’s mayor says the city’s residents are “prisoners in their own homes” as the Freedom Convoy trucker protests continued on Sunday.
Leaders of the demonstrations vowed on Sunday to stay in the Canadian capital “as long as it takes” for the government to fold and withdraw vaccine mandates.
BJ Dichter, who is one of the organisers behind a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $8 million to support the convoy, said on Sunday their aim is create a “logistics nightmare” for the Canadian government and force it to repeal its vaccine mandates.
“Right now, yeah, it’s really cold, but we hang in there, the days are going to get longer and we take this block party and put it into overdrive,” he said at a press conference with only certain media outlets invited.
“We’re in this one for the long haul. We don’t have a time limit.”
Meanwhile Ottawa police say they have launched multiple investigations into the ‘desecration’ of monuments by the Freedom Convoy protesters and of ‘illegal’ behaviour.
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Canada’s House of Commons will resume on Monday despite protests
Canada’s House of Commons will resume work on Monday as scheduled, after a six-week holiday break, despite the convoy protestors and vehicles blocking access to parliament.
“The House will reconvene at 11 am tomorrow, as planned, in accordance with the Standing Orders,” the Speaker’s office confirmed on Sunday.
No comment has been made on what security arrangements will be in place with thousands of protesters expected to still be in Ottawa.
Truckers have threatened to remain in the capital until their demands are met.
Stuti Mishra31 January 2022 07:18
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Ottawa police estimates protest costs at $800k a day, urges resident to avoid travel
The Ottawa police have estimated the policing costs of managing the protest at more than $800,000 (£468,000) per day, urging residents to not travel towards the downtown core.
“Throughout the weekend, the Ottawa Police Service and its partners have been actively and patiently managing a well-funded, major demonstration in the downtown core,” the police of the Canadian capital said in a statement released on Sunday.
“We have seen multiple cases of disruptive, inappropriate and threatening behaviour from demonstrators.”
“Along with the safety issues, costs to businesses and social costs, the Ottawa Police continues to tally the financial costs of the policing costs which are estimated at more than $800,000 a day,” the statement further said.
“Police are aware that many demonstrators have announced their intention to stay in place. This will continue to cause major traffic, noise and safety issues in the downtown core. We urge all residents to avoid travel to the core,” the statement said, adding that the police has so far avoided ticketing and towing vehicle to not instigate the demonstrators.
“Still, confrontations and the need for de-escalation has regularly been required,” it said.
The police asked those working in the downtown core to plan to work from home if possible. It also said if children attend school in the downtown area, parents should first check if the school is open tomorrow
Stuti Mishra31 January 2022 07:00
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Blockade preventing access to US border ‘must end’, says Alberta premier
Alberta’s premier has asked for the vehicle blockade preventing access to the Canada-US border crossing to end, warning it “dangerously” impedes emergency services.
“This blockade must end immediately,” Jason Kenney said in a statement on Sunday. “[It] could dangerously impede the movement of emergency service vehicles.”
The massive blockade of vehicles on the US-Canada border since Saturday afternoon is a result of the ongoing nationwide protests called by truckers who are demanding a repeal of vaccine mandates, masks and lockdowns.
It has brought traffic between the US and Canada to a standstill.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in a statement earlier that the efforts to clear the area are ongoing and they are coordinating with the protesting truckers.
Stuti Mishra31 January 2022 06:25
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Ottawa police launches criminal investigation against protestors
Ottawa police have launched a criminal investigation into the incident of protestors climbing atop a cenotaph and dancing on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier among other violent acts seen during the protest against Covid-19 vaccine mandates and safety protocols, officials said on Sunday.
“Several criminal investigations are underway in relation to the desecration of the National War Memorial/Terry Fox statue, threatening/illegal/intimidating behaviour to police/city workers and other individuals and damage to a city vehicle,” the Ottawa police said on Twitter.
They added: “Illegal behaviour will not be tolerated and will be fully investigated. We have investigative and evidence-gathering teams in place to support the management of the demonstration.”
The police will not be taking reports through social media, asking for the incidents to be directly reported to them.
New videos on social media showed protestors from the “Freedom Convoy” on Saturday at Parliament Hill and nearby areas damaging the National War Memorial in the demonstration. One of the protestors was seen jumping on the Tomb of the Unknown soldier and yelling “freedom” as he was being filmed.
Stuti Mishra31 January 2022 05:54
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Donald Trump gives shoutout to truckers
Former President Donald Trump gave a shoutout to protesting truckers as he held a rally in Conroe, Texas.
During a speech in which he also suggested he would pardon Capitol rioters if he ran and won the 2024 presidential election, Mr Trump said: “We want those great Canadian truckers to know that we are with them all the way”.
Stuti Mishra31 January 2022 05:23
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Protesters say they are not leaving Ottawa
ICYMI: BJ Dichter, who is one of the organisers behind a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $8 million to support the convoy, said on Sunday their aim is create a “logistics nightmare” for the Canadian government and force it to repeal its vaccine mandates.
“Right now, yeah, it’s really cold, but we hang in there, the days are going to get longer and we take this block party and put it into overdrive,” he said at a press conference with only certain media outlets invited.
“We’re in this one for the long haul. We don’t have a time limit.”
(AP)
Stuti Mishra31 January 2022 04:20
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Ottawa major says residents feel like ‘prisoners’ in own city
ICYMI: “Quite frankly, they feel they’re prisoners in their own home. And so my hope is that at some point, the police reach the conclusion that it’s time to have a serious discussion about moving these people on. They can’t keep blocking routes that are emergency routes, that are bus routes, that allow people to get in and out of the downtown core,” he told CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton.
“You have the right to protest, you’ve had your protest, please move on. Our city has to get back in normal stead.”
(AP)
Stuti Mishra31 January 2022 03:45
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Soup kitchen says member assaulted by protesters
ICYMI: A soup kitchen in Ottawa has given more details of the harassment its staff received over meals by members of the trucking convoy.
The Shepherds of Good Hope said on twitter that one its community members had been assaulted and a security guard was threatened and called “racial slurs” during a “difficult 24 hours.”
“Friends, it’s been a difficult 24 hours. Staff harassed for meals. A service user and security guard assaulted. Through it all, you have donated and filled our hearts with gratitude. Every cent will support people experiencing homelessness,” they tweeted.
Graeme Massie31 January 2022 03:08
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GoFundMe releases batch of donations
ICYMI: GoFundMe has released a batch of donations for truckers having put a hold on the money temporarily. According ot the fundraising page, where donations have now topped CAD $8 million, the money was put on hold due to banking regulations.
“We have some great news to share with all of you! We have received confirmation that GoFundMe has released our first batch of funds and is initiating our first transfer. We can’t thank you enough for your patience,” the post read.
“Sadly, the legacy media felt it was necessary to publish news articles implying that GoFundMe had frozen our funds for a variety of outrageous reasons. In reality, the temporary hold was due to international banking regulations which dictate many of GoFundMe policies. It is common practice with GoFundMe to conduct this kind of due diligence to ensure the funds are legitimate.“For our case, because of the overwhelming donations we have received, and we are currently the 8th fastest growing campaign in their history, the constant attempts by activists to flag our campaign as illegitimate exacerbated the already tedious process. The team at GoFundMe have been amazing to work with and we are very appreciative of their support.“The release of this first batch of funds will allow us to start processing registration forms and remittances to drivers who need our support. Initially, there will be a bottle neck because of the large number of requests we need to process, and because of payment processing times. Please bare with us as we are working as fast as we can to get this done.”
Graeme Massie31 January 2022 02:02
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Soup kitchen says truckers ‘harassing’ staff for meals
ICYMI: A soup kitchen in Ottawa reported that members of the trucking convoy had been harassing its staff for meals. In a tweet, the Shepherds of Good Hope said meals had been provided to truckers after some issue but that it would not be providing food for the convoy going forward.
Graeme Massie31 January 2022 01:06