Ottawa Police Arrest 15 Protesters And Tow Away Vehicles As Standoff Continues

Topline

Ottawa police have arrested 15 protesters and towed away four vehicles as law enforcement attempted to clear downtown Friday of “Freedom Convoy” demonstrators, some of whom allegedly used their children as shields between the crowd and the police.

Key Facts

Police tweeted at 11:53 a.m. ET Friday they had arrested 15 protesters and towed four vehicles, clearing one of the streets that had been clogged up by protesters who have gripped the city for weeks, a day after two leaders of the protest were arrested. 

Police said some protestors put children between themselves and the police though the Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa said in a statement it was working with the police to help ensure the safety of the children and that it had not yet needed to take any children into its care.

A CBC reporter on the scene said, “We’ve seen a sonic cannon brought in” that could potentially be used to disperse holdouts.

By 11 a.m., police had gathered with riot gear to disband the protest, according to the Ottawa Citizen, as police warned protesters that they must leave “unlawful protest sites” immediately and remove vehicles and property from the area.

Police said they were “aware of a concerted effort” to overwhelm the 911 and non-emergency lines, adding they will charge those who deliberately interfere with emergencies.

CBC reported some 100 checkpoints were set up in downtown Ottawa Thursday night before police started making arrests to end the demonstration that has grown unpopular among Canadians; the city also published a map of the zone they intended to clear.

One of the organizers of the Freedom Convoy, Pat King, told supporters “not to stop, hold the line” on Facebook Live Friday, according to the Ottawa Citizen. 

Key Background

Police on Thursday detained two prominent organizers of the protest, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, who were among “several” people arrested that day, CBC reported. The “Freedom Convoy” moved into downtown Ottawa in late January to protest Covid-19 vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers, blaring horns, clogging up streets and bringing some local businesses to a halt. The demonstration against Covid-19 rules in downtown Ottawa quickly expanded to protests at three critical bridges at the U.S.-Canada border. It inspired copycat demonstrations in several other countries, including France, New Zealand and Belgium. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked emergency powers earlier this week, for the first time using the Emergencies Act that became law in 1988 in order to clear the protests. Dozens of protesters at the border were arrested after refusing to leave. Protesters blockading the three key border crossings—the Ambassador Bridge and between Manitoba-North Dakota and Alberta-Montana— started leaving Saturday, a day after police moved in to remove them, after nearly a week of disrupting traffic and commerce.

Big Number

$51 million. That’s the estimated loss in wages among the Michigan auto industry last week, according to Anderson Economic Group, after the protests forced automakers including General Motors, Ford and Toyota to slash production or shutter factories on both sides of the border.  

Tangent

The “Freedom Convoy” has drawn support in the U.S., including from former President Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and the eccentric billionaire Elon Musk.

Surprising Fact

The names and contact information of people who donated to two fundraising efforts to support the trucker protests—Freedom Convoy 2022 and Adopt-a-Trucker campaigns—through a Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo were leaked Monday. The website was hacked Sunday evening by what it called “malicious actors.” According to a Washington Post analysis of the leaked fundraising data of the two campaigns that had amassed a combined total of around $9 million from around 100,000 donors, nearly 42% of the money came from the U.S. Donations from the U.S. accounted for the largest overall number of contributions. Almost 52% of the money came from those in Canada. Protesters began raising money on GiveSendGo after GoFundMe froze $10 million in donations to the cause earlier this month. Trudeau’s emergency order has given financial institutions the authority to freeze accounts they believe are tied to fund the “Freedom Convoy.” However, donations continued to flow into the cause. The Freedom Convoy 2022 campaign had raised $9.6 million, or 60% of its target amount, as of Friday morning, and the Adopt-a-Trucker campaign had amassed $590,463.

Further Reading

Canadian police move in to arrest protesters from Ottawa trucker convoy (Guardian)

Ottawa police start making arrests in operation to end occupation Social Sharing (CBC)

Convoy protest organizers Tamara Lich, Chris Barber arrested in Ottawa (CBC)

Canada’s ‘Freedom Convoy’ Ends One Border Blockade—But One Last Remains (Forbes)