Police investigate ‘illegal’ actions during Canadian Freedom Flotilla trucker protests

Ottawa police said “multiple criminal investigations” were underway into “threatening” and “unlawful” behaviour after monuments including the National War Memorial were defaced and protesters displayed “unlawful” and “intimidating” behaviour towards police and others, including staff at a soup kitchen for the homeless.

“I want to be very clear: We are not afraid of those who insult and abuse small business workers and steal food from the homeless,” Trudeau said. “We will not surrender to those who raise racist flags. We will not surrender to those who engage in vandalism or dishonor the memory of our veterans.”

The caravan was originally planned to protest rules the U.S. and Canadian governments implemented in January requiring foreign truck drivers to be fully vaccinated to enter their countries. If Canada rescinds its rules, unvaccinated Canadian truckers will not be able to enter the United States.

‘Freedom Caravan’ of Canadian Truckers Opposing Vaccine Mandate Arrives in Ottawa

But it has turned into a demonstration against Trudeau, who was re-elected in September with a minority government, and against coronavirus restrictions, which are mostly imposed by provincial governments.

“It’s everything, it’s everything,” BJ Dichter, co-founder of a GoFundMe fundraiser for the convoy, told a select group of reporters on Sunday.

By Monday afternoon, the campaign had raised more than $9.2 million. GoFundMe told The Washington Post last week that $1 million of that money had been released to organizers after they presented a distribution plan for the money used to cover fuel costs.

Canada Unity, the main group behind the protests, wants Governor General Mary Simon, who represents Queen Elizabeth II in Canada, and the Senate to drop all vaccine mandates or dissolve the government. Neither can unilaterally overturn government policy, and the governor general cannot dissolve a government that has not lost the confidence of the House of Commons.

The Canadian Anti-Hate Network has documented links between several of the caravan’s organizers and far-right groups.

On Monday, as parliament resumed a hybrid session after a winter break, a line of large trucks and recreational vehicles continued to block the main road outside parliament. Although many of the estimated 8,000 people who arrived in the city on Saturday have left, those who remain say they will stay until the mandates are dropped.

“This is a demonstration that is unique in its nature, massive in its scope, divisive in its content and dangerous in literally every other aspect,” Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloley told reporters Monday.

Ottawa police advised residents to avoid the area. They said there was one arrest and that they would set up a hotline for hate crimes related to the demonstrations. Several facilities, including city hall and a COVID-19 vaccination clinic, were closed. The Rideau Centre, a major shopping mall, was closed for a third day. Canada Unity said Sunday it planned to gather 1,000 people to shop without masks in violation of public health orders.

“People have had the opportunity to express their frustration with government policy, and as the old saying goes, they have worn out their welcome,” Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson told reporters Monday.

The U.S.-Canada border is mostly closed, but Canadians were able to get through to the Capitol siege last week.

As the convoy approached Ottawa, it was welcomed by several People’s Party of Canada and Conservative MPs. Some argued that a vaccination rule for cross-border truckers would lead to food shortages and higher food costs. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole met with some of the protesters but not the organizers.

Some lawmakers who supported the protests have since issued statements condemning the behavior of some members.

Protesters placed an upside-down Canadian flag — a distress signal — between the arms of a statue of Terry Fox, the Canadian who lost his leg to bone cancer and embarked on a historic cross-country race before his death in 1981 that raised millions of dollars for cancer research. He is considered a national hero.

“His statue should never be touched,” tweeted Brad West, mayor of Port Coquitlam, the British Columbia city where Fox grew up.

When a Conservative lawmaker was interviewed on television, a Canadian flag with a swastika could be seen in the background. Some protesters waved Confederate flags.

Canada’s Chief of Defence Staff Wayne Eyre said he was “disgusted” by scenes of protesters dancing on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and desecrating the National War Memorial.

“Generations of Canadians have fought and died for their rights, including freedom of speech, but not this,” he tweeted. “Those involved should hang their heads in shame.”

The Shepherds of Good Hope, a community kitchen, said staff were “harassed for meals” and others were subjected to verbal abuse and racist insults during what they described as a “very difficult weekend”.

The Canadian Trucking Association, an industry group, said Saturday that many of the people involved in the protests “have no connection to the trucking industry.” The coalition said the vast majority of its members are fully vaccinated.

The coalition said in a statement it condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the desecration of what it called “sacred sites.” It said it had made donations to the Terry Fox Foundation and the Soldier On program, which the Canadian Armed Forces runs to support the recovery of members and veterans who suffered physical or mental injuries while serving.

Trudeau, who said Monday that he and two of his children have tested positive for the coronavirus, criticized lawmakers for “preying on people’s fears” and supporting the caravan.

“If we choose to tolerate and tacitly support conspiracy theories and people who promote misinformation, that is a reflection of what we have chosen to do as politicians and who we are as leaders,” he said.

Public opinion polls show that a majority of Canadians support mandatory vaccination. Quebec Premier François Legault, who is considering a tax on unvaccinated people, is one of Canada’s most popular prime ministers. And nearly 80 per cent of people in the country are fully vaccinated against the virus, according to Oxford University data.

However, there is a movement against public health measures. Some of its most prominent members are linked to far-right groups and promote anti-government, anti-Semitic and anti-Islam views, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue reported in December.

Canada’s handling of the coronavirus hasn’t been perfect, but it’s been much better than the United States’.

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Canada fared better than the US on COVID-19, but now lags behind on vaccinations