Ottawa police have announced they will be implementing a “surge and contain strategy” ahead of a predicted rise of protestors supporting the anti-vaccine mandate and anti-coronavirus restriction Freedom Convoy of truckers this weekend.
The Ottawa police service made their statement in a Twitter thread on Friday stating, “Ottawa Police and its partners are implementing a surge and contain strategy in Ottawa’s downtown neighbourhoods to further protect neighbourhoods, restore order and prevent unlawful activity.”
The police acknowledged prior reports that the city is expecting a surge of additional supporters of the protest this weekend, saying, “we are significantly increasing our policing resources to respond.”
Around 150 additional officers are expected to be deployed on the ground in four downtown Ottawa areas, such as Centretown, and Byward Market and police say they will be deploying “concrete and heavy equipment barricades to create no-access roadways throughout the downtown core.”
Protestors will also be directed to park away from the downtown area and police threatened to impound and remove vehicles that attempt to park downtown, while also stating that bridges, including bridges to neighbouring Quebec, could be closed if needed.
“National, provincial and local intelligence agencies have increased efforts to identify and target protestors who are funding/supporting/enabling unlawful and harmful activity by protestors,” police stated and added, “Investigative evidence-gathering teams are collecting financial, digital, vehicle registration, driver identification, insurance status, and other related evidence that will be used in criminal prosecutions.”
Police labelled the ongoing protest an “occupation of the Parliamentary Precinct” and stated that while there has been no rioting, no deaths or injuries, “The demonstrators in this red zone area remain highly organized, well-funded, and extremely committed to resisting efforts to end the demonstration safely. This remains a very volatile and very dangerous demonstration.”
Ottawa Police chief Peter Sloly also gave a press conference Friday, going over many of the same points as the Ottawa police Twitter thread, but also denied that officers were permitted to support the Freedom Convoy protestors with food, fuel or other logistics and said any police officer caught doing so would be investigated and possibly prosecuted. Even giving protestors water would be investigated and possibly punished, he said.
The escalation of police activity comes after Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly suggested that the city may request assistance from the Canadian Armed Forces to help stop the protests. A spokesman for the Canadian Defence Ministry later clarified that the military was not involved in law enforcement operations and had no plans to be.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has slammed the Freedom Convoy protestors as a “fringe minority” with “unacceptable views” and smeared the protests are racists, confirmed that the military would not be deployed.
“One has to be very, very cautious before deploying military in situations engaging Canadians. It is not something that anyone should enter in lightly,” Trudeau said and added, “But as of now, there have been no requests and that is not in the cards right now.”
Trudeau, who fled Ottawa for security reasons last weekend and remains isolating due to a positive Wuhan coronavirus test, has maintained that he will not speak with the protestors, claiming they have “expressed hateful rhetoric” and disrespected science and frontline healthcare workers.
Unlike the Canadian Prime Minister, Canadian provincial leaders have been more receptive to protestors demands to end vaccine mandates, vacation passports and other coronavirus restrictions, with Saskatchewan Premier Scott More stating that his province would be ending its vaccine passport by the end of February.
Earlier this week, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has also pledged to scrap the vaccine passport system, while Quebec Premier Francois Legault dropped a controversial tax on the unvaccinated and stated he was open to speaking with members of the Freedom Convoy movement.