Trucks and hundreds of protesters on Monday still occupy the downtown core in Ottawa, where fuel is banned from entering the protest “red zone” in front of parliament. Of more than 60 criminal investigations underway in the capital city, most involve alleged hate crimes, property damage, thefts and mischief, police there said.
The police department has asked the mayor for a “significant increase” in resources to deal with the unrest, Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said Monday.
“We have been 100% full out on this for the last 10 days straight, and we will not rest until it’s done, but we need more help,” Sloly said.
The chief has been “advocating for all three levels of government to bring whatever they can bring to bear on the permanent, sustainable, lawful, safe resolution of this demonstration,” he said.
Many in the city are at their “breaking point,” Sloly said.
“This is crushing for those residents and their businesses,” he said. “It has to stop, and we are doing everything we can possibly do to stop it. We need more help; we’re asking for that help; and we’re starting to receive that help, but we need more to get this done.”
On Monday, Watson sent letters to Trudeau, Canada’s minister of safety and Ontario’s premier and solicitor general, asking them to “help the City secure 1800 officers to quell the insurrection that the Ottawa Police Service is not able to contain.”
“People are living in fear and are terrified,” Watson wrote, adding the constant honking of large trucks over nine days “is tantamount to psychological warfare.”
“Our hope is that your department can help coordinate a response that matches the scale of the challenge we are facing,” Watson wrote.
“The whole event has gone beyond just vaccines, and it is now about the entire ordeal,” protester James MacDonald told CNN, adding he’s been in Ottawa since last weekend and has no plan to leave until health measures are dropped.
Ottawa police investigating potential hate crimes
“We already have a number of hate-related incidents that we’re investigating,” Chief Sloly said last week. “We encourage anyone who’s been the victim of a hate crime or think they may have been the victim of a hate crime or exposed to hate incidents to contact us.”
At least seven arrests were made Sunday in the city and at least 450 citations issued since Saturday morning, the Ottawa Police Service said, including for excessive honking, driving the wrong way or on a sidewalk, not wearing a seat belt, having alcohol readily available and having the improper class of driving license.
Vehicles and fuel have been seized, police said, and they are advising “anyone found bringing fuel to the demonstration trucks in red zone could be subject to arrest and charges.” Officers have responded to more than 650 calls for service in relation to the demonstrations since they began, police said Sunday.
A weekend of arrests and protests
Among them was a 29-year-old US citizen from Washington state who was arrested after officers saw him wearing a balaclava and pulling a wagon full of egg cartons, police said. The man had a knife in a sheath tied to his belt, and two eggs in his jacket pocket, they said.
“Everyone has the right to peacefully assemble and express their views, and the Vancouver Police Department is committed to providing a safe environment for lawful protest,” said police Sgt. Steve Addison. “Today’s protests attracted thousands of people who feel passionately about their causes. While most protesters were peaceful, some had to be arrested for violent behavior and unlawful conduct.”
In Toronto, Canada’s largest city, thousands took to the streets Saturday. And despite the efforts of Toronto police, several trucks blocked a major intersection for hours. Police reported problems clearing the way for emergency vehicles near the protest, warning again in a statement this was “unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
Quebec City similarly reported thousands of protesters and hundreds of trucks clogging streets while residents and visitors tried to enjoy a winter carnival.
The suspect was arrested after a brief struggle with law enforcement, authorities said. “Some comments he made after his arrest suggested that his motivation was not specifically about the underlying causes of the protests or the mandates,” Constable Rob Carver of the Winnipeg Police Service said Saturday.
He faces 11 charges, including assault with a weapon, dangerous operation of a conveyance and failure to stop after an accident, authorities said.
CNN’s Paradise Afshar, Joe Sutton, Keith Allen, Laura James, Melissa Alonso, Caroline Kucera, Caroll Alvarado, Eric Levenson and Hannah Sarisohn contributed to this report.
