It may seem hard to believe that America’s neighbor to the north is now a full-fledged, up-and-running police state. Heavily-armed police are arresting and, in some cases, roughing up, severely beating, and trampling with horses members of the truckers’ Freedom Convoy in Ottawa as well as bystanders. The country has gone off the rails.
Canada’s prime minister won a skirmish but lost his credibility, which means that he has also lost legitimacy and will lose the war.
As the philosopher Bertie Wooster was wont to observe, “it’s always just when a fellow is feeling particularly braced with things in general that Fate sneaks up behind him with a bit of lead piping.” Authorities are divided on whether Bertie was correct in attributing the observation to Shakespeare. Perhaps it has its origin in the reflections of some other sage. But regarding the pertinence of the phenomenon to the conduct of human affairs there seems to be general agreement. The Greek tragedians analyzed it as a cosmic interplay of ὕβρις and ἄτη, arrogance followed by infatuation and ruin. I am not sure whether little Justin Trudeau, prime minister pro tem of Canada, has given much thought to the operation of this awful (in the old sense) dialectic, but I suspect that he is about to make its close and palpable acquaintance.
Ottawa, brutality of Justin Trudeau's police toward a woman who wanted to have coffee. pic.twitter.com/LaDeLxiHaf
— RadioGenova (@RadioGenova) February 20, 2022
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has been denounced by a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) over the “tyrannical actions” he has taken against peaceful protestors taking part in the ongoing ‘Freedom Convoy’ demonstrations.
Cristian Terhes, a Romanian MEP, has denounced the “tyrannical actions” of Prime Minister Trudeau in regards to his actions against the ongoing Freedom Convoy protest.
When thousands of protesters against Covid restrictions arrived in Ottawa last month, it would have seemed unimaginable that they would take over parts of the Canadian capital with little resistance.
To their own disbelief, the rightwing protesters soon controlled the streets outside parliament, brazenly flouting the law in the belief nothing could or would stop them.
This weekend, however, the blockade ended in incredulity, accusations of betrayal and questions over the future of the protest movement.
WHAT IS A MISCHIEF CHARGE?
A mischief charge under the Criminal Code is extremely flexible, covering a wide range of possible offences from interfering with computer data to mischief endangering life or causing death.
The Canadian government claims that the reason the police used violence and force to move protesters off the streets of Canada’s capital was that the demonstrators themselves were violent.
Police Chief Steven Bell gave a press conference on Saturday trying to justify his officers using horses to push the protesters back. After several demonstrators were trampled — caught on video — Bell denied that it was a big deal.
A woman was killed and five others wounded in a shooting Saturday night at a Portland park where people had gathered to protest the police shooting of Amir Locke.
Police responded to reports of shots fired at a street intersection near Normandale Park just after 8 pm, before demonstrators could even begin a planned march, which was set to begin at 8, flyers posted on social media show.
Arriving officers found one woman dead, and two men and three other women were taken to the hospital, police said. Their conditions were not immediately known.
Last night there was a mass shooting in Portland at Normandale Park where armed #antifa & far-left militants were gathering for a direct action. One female is deceased & there are five others injured. #Antifa are claiming shooting was politically motivated pic.twitter.com/68n38GAsPV
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) February 20, 2022
There are few words to describe the depth of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s depravity. I’m not going to even try.
This is a person, because no real man would ever govern like him, so thoroughly ill-prepared for its job it doesn’t even know how to properly read from the prepared script.
It was all fun and games making Trudeau/Hitler memes until this week when Trudeau’s enforcers on horseback trampled an old woman.
Nice Turnouts!
British Columbia pic.twitter.com/O8eX1VWNSI
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) February 20, 2022
Calgary is on fyre pic.twitter.com/LMzyCRHHf2
— Denver Hodge Fund (@DerAchsenZeit) February 19, 2022
#FreedomProtest In #Toronto After #Ottawa Crackdown On #FreedomConvoy2022
The End Of The Truck Protest In #Ottawa Does Not Mean An End To The #FreedomProtest Across #Canada
Peaceful Protests On Foot Are 100% Legal And As Effective Without Having To Block Roads pic.twitter.com/csSIK9egia
— 🔴 Choice News Network 🌐 (@ChoiceNewsNet) February 20, 2022
Even after nearly 200 arrests made in Ottawa over the past couple of days in an effort to crack down on “Freedom Convoy” protesters, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair says the job is “not yet done.”
Following a briefing with law enforcement officials on Sunday morning, the minister said threats that prompted the federal government to invoke the Emergencies Act are ongoing.
“It’s still clear that although they’ve made very significant progress, and we’re pleased with the progress that they’ve made, the job’s not yet done,” he said in an interview on CTV’s Question Period. “The reasons why we had to bring forward these measures, unfortunately, still exist.”
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association on Friday applied for a judicial review in federal court seeking an order to quash Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14.
The CCLA presents a logical and balanced argument, free of political rhetoric, about why it believes that decision was unconstitutional.
Live feed Ottawa
“… If you are involved in this protest, we will actively look to identify you and follow up with financial sanctions and criminal charges,” Bell said.
“This investigation will go on for months to come. It has many, many different streams both from a federal financial level, from a provincial licensing level, from a Criminal Code level, from a municipal breach of court order, breach of court injunction level.”
1,056 people are hospitalized with #COVID19. Please note that not all hospitals report on weekends.
There are 324 people in ICU with COVID-19.
There are 1,966 new cases of COVID-19.
— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) February 20, 2022
The Queen has tested positive for Covid, Buckingham Palace has said.
The monarch is experiencing “mild cold-like symptoms” but expects to continue “light duties” at Windsor over the coming week, the palace said.
“She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines,” it added in a statement.
The Queen, 95, had been in contact with her eldest son and heir, the Prince of Wales, who tested positive last week.
Ottawa’s mayor says any vehicles seized during the police crackdown on the occupation of the downtown should be sold to cover costs incurred by the city.
“We actually have the ability to confiscate those vehicles and sell them,” Mayor Jim Watson said Saturday.
“And I want to see them sold. I don’t want the return to these people who’ve been causing such frustration and angst in our community.”
Things had been very quiet here downtown. Now, vans and bus loads of police and the Toronto police mounted unit—horses in trailers—-have arrived back near parliament. Day 3. #ottawa pic.twitter.com/OpOPNoAPqV
— á ’ Global News (@ConsumerSOS) February 20, 2022
Police are poised for a third day of actively confronting protesters in downtown Ottawa in hopes of finally ending the weeks-long occupation of the national capital.
… They also said they deployed mid-range impact weapons last night after protesters allegedly assaulted officers with weapons, though no serious injuries on either side were reported.
