Police launch criminal investigations into 'illegal' acts at Ottawa anti-vaccine-mandate trucker protests
Police in Canada said "several criminal investigations are underway" into "threatening" and "illegal" behavior that occurred over the weekend during huge protests in the capital, Ottawa, where truckers and thousands of supporters gathered to denounce coronavirus vaccine mandates and other public health measures.
While many protested peacefully, Ottawa police said they would investigate after monuments were defaced and some demonstrators displayed "threatening/illegal/intimidating behaviour to police/city workers and other individuals."
"Illegal behaviour will not be tolerated and will be fully investigated," police said.
There were reports of urination on the National War Memorial and desecration of other monuments, including the statue of Terry Fox, a Canadian athlete and cancer research activist, who died in 1981 after dedicating his life to raising funds to cure the disease.
Brad West, mayor of Port Coquitlam, the city in British Columbia where Fox was raised, tweeted that "you don't touch his statue. Ever."
Video: Protests of vaccine mandates, restrictions pop up around the world
Some demonstrators held signs featuring swastikas. Others angrily called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to quit, chanting in unison on Parliament Hill.
Canada's minister of defense, Anita Anand, called some of the scenes from Parliament Hill and the National War Memorial "beyond reprehensible," as footage emerged of protesters dancing on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and screaming "freedom."
Canada's chief of the defense staff, Wayne Eyre, said he was "sickened" by scenes of people disrespecting key monuments. "Generations of Canadians have fought and died for our rights, including free speech, but not this," Eyre tweeted Saturday. "Those involved should hang their heads in shame."
A self-described "Freedom Convoy" of trucks and their supporters began arriving in Ottawa last week to protest a federal vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers, after Canada and the United States announced that truck drivers entering their respective countries must be fully vaccinated.
Footage shared to social media alongside the hashtags #TruckerConvoy2022 and #TruckersForFreedom2022 showed semis honking long into the night and crowds dancing in the street below signs that read "segregation is not Canadian" and "mandate freedom."
Ottawa's mayor, Jim Watson, said Sunday that convoy members had acted unacceptably and called on protest organizers to denounce their "outrageous actions," which he said included the harassment of city workers.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance said in a statement over the weekend that it condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the desecration of what it called "sacred sites." The organization said it had made a donation to the Terry Fox Foundation and the Soldier On program, which is run by the Canadian Armed Forces to support the recovery of members and veterans dealing with physical or mental injuries from their service.
On Sunday, Ottawa police urged people to work from home Monday and "avoid travel" downtown while officials work to "facilitate the safe departure of individuals and vehicles" from the demonstration site.
Police said they had towed vehicles blocking key roadways - while the soup kitchen Shepherds of Good Hope said staff members had been "harassed for meals" and others had been verbally assaulted during what they called an "incredibly difficult weekend."
The organization said that trucks had parked in ambulance drop-off areas for about 12 hours and that the commotion and noise caused by the protest had caused "significant anxiety and stress" among staff members and service users.
At least 33,722 people have died of covid-19 in Canada since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
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