The Ottawa Police Service says felony investigations are underway in reference to incidents throughout Saturday's "Freedom Convoy" protest on Parliament Hill and all through town's downtown core.
"A number of felony investigations are underway in relation to the desecration of the Nationwide Struggle Memorial/Terry Fox statue, threatening/unlawful/intimidating behaviour to police/metropolis staff and different people and harm to a metropolis automobile," police mentioned in a tweet Sunday.
Hundreds of protesters descended on Ottawa's downtown core on Saturday, creating large gridlock. The majority of the gang remained on Parliament Hill however there have been many extra folks wandering by means of the streets, in some circumstances partaking in behaviour that has been condemned by officers, together with standing on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the Nationwide Struggle Memorial and attaching an the other way up Canadian flag to the Terry Fox statue on Wellington Avenue. The Shepherds of Good Hope additionally mentioned some protesters harassed workers and volunteers at their soup kitchen on Saturday.
Police mentioned no arrests have been made Saturday.
"Officers encountered a number of challenges with demonstrators, together with sporadic highway blockages by vans, which officers labored to clear," a press launch mentioned. "These high-risk conditions have been de-escalated and resolved with no arrests."
The press launch didn't point out the felony investigations.
In an announcement to CTV Information, the Ottawa Police Service confirmed that the incident on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was below investigation. Police additionally confirmed to CTV Information that they're working with organizers of the protest on a route and secure method to clear the downtown.
Talking on Newstalk 580 CFRA on Sunday, Ottawa police spokesperson Const. Amy Gagnon urged residents who witness crimes to name police straight.
"I do know there's lots circulating on social media and we wish to remind those who we really cannot police based mostly on social media," she mentioned. "We really have not had incidents reported, so we're asking folks to name us. Please name Ottawa police if there's an incident to report."
Gagnon mentioned there are officers ready to analyze any felony experiences and they're prepared to put prices if crucial.
"We're right here to assist the residents and so you probably have skilled or are experiencing threats or it does escalate to violence, please name us. We have to know so we are able to reply."
The protest in opposition to COVID-19 mandates and public well being measures started as a convoy of truckers driving from B.C. to Ottawa, with many individuals coming alongside in private autos. Protesters all through the downtown core blared horns for many of the day Saturday and set off fireworks at night time. Honking resumed downtown at round 8 a.m. Sunday as a smaller crowd started gathering on Parliament Hill.
Gagnon couldn't present a particular estimate of the gang's measurement however mentioned it was within the 1000's. She mentioned police are getting ready for a similar variety of folks within the core on Sunday.
Barricades at Struggle Memorial
Police additionally introduced that barricades had been positioned across the Nationwide Struggle Memorial on Sunday to ban autos from parking on the cenotaph.
Police eliminated some automobiles that had parked across the monument Saturday morning. Later within the day, a video shared on social media exhibiting an individual standing on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier shouting "freedom!" drew widespread condemnation from the nation's prime soldier, Chief of Defence Employees Gen. Wayne Eyre, Defence Minister Anita Anand, and teams just like the Royal Canadian Legion.
Concrete boundaries have been positioned on the paths main as much as the monument Sunday.
"We'd like our memorials to be revered. That behaviour is unacceptable and so we're placing up bodily boundaries to be sure that autos cannot entry the trail and you will note an elevated police presence round these areas as effectively," she mentioned.
Gagnon additionally mentioned police have been additionally working to place boundaries across the Terry Fox statute on Wellington Avenue.
Folks stand and wave flags on prime of a logging truck parked on Wellington Avenue close to Parliament Hill throughout a rally in opposition to COVID-19 restrictions, which started as a cross-country convoy protesting a federal vaccine mandate for truckers, in Ottawa, on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022. (Justin Tang/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Ottawa police put up barricades on the Nationwide Struggle Memorial to ban vehicular entry to the location Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, after incidents on the monument throughout a big protest in opposition to COVID-19 mandates. (Jeremie Charron/CTV Information Ottawa)
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