Footage on social media shows unrest continuing in the Canadian capital of Ottawa, as police have moved in horses, have smashed truck windows, and arrested more than 200 people involved in the Freedom Convoy, a trucker-led protest against government tyranny.
As many as 60 vehicles have been towed, according to official reports.
Ottawa Police wrote that they will financially ruin and prosecute anyone involved with the protest, essentially making protest illegal in Ottawa and enacting ex post facto law, punishing people for their political beliefs.
“If you are involved in this protest, we will actively look to identify you and follow up with financial sanctions and criminal charges,” Ottawa police said.
One woman was trampled by police on horseback who barged through a crowd standing in protest on Friday. The woman, a Native woman who was on a walker, was seriously injured, according to the police’s watchdog agency, the Special Investigations Unit. She is recovering in the hospital. She was filmed saying, “This is what we are doing it for. So we can have peace, and love and happiness,” just before she was trampled by the horses.
“At approximately 5:14 p.m. (Friday), there was an interaction between a Toronto Police Service officer on a horse and a 49-year-old woman on Rideau Street and Mackenzie Avenue. The woman has a reported serious injury,” the SIU said in a statement.
The Ottawa police said that was misinformation and that law enforcement have used lawful and safe tactics. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported that the protest was by white colonialists, even while posting an illustration of mixed-race protesters.
Protesters are posting the images of what is happening on the ground on Twitter and TikTok. Must Read Alaska is refraining from posting these videos on our Facebook account because of the real possibility that our account would be shut down by censors. On Twitter, videos have been released showing police beating up people. Businesses in downtown Ottawa have been forced to close.
Massive protests were under way in Toronto, Quebec City, and Calgary on Saturday as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tries to contain the protest by brute force in the nation’s capital, where provincial police officers have removed their name tags and badge numbers from their uniforms.
