Police in Ottawa arrest 2 organizers of the 'Freedom Convoy'
Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, two of the main organizers of the so-called "Freedom Convoy" in Ottawa, were arrested on Thursday.
Dagny Pawlak, a spokeswoman for the convoy, told The Washington Post that Lich was detained on a charge of "aiding and abetting mischief." Earlier Thursday, Lich, an Alberta resident, told CBC News her personal bank account had been frozen, and she knew she would soon be jailed. Ottawa police declined to comment on the arrests.
The protest against Canada's COVID-19 policies began three weeks ago, and demonstrators who remain say they won't leave until all mandates are lifted. There have been dozens of criminal investigations launched from the protests, Ottawa residents have complained about the noise from idling trucks and all-night honking, and police have ticketed people for bringing in fuel to refill trucks and for illegal parking.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On Thursday, Ottawa interim Police Chief Steve Bell told the demonstrators it's "time to go. Your time in our city has come to an end and you must leave." Police have set up a perimeter around Ottawa, Bell said, and a large area is now only open to residents, workers, and law enforcement. "I implore anyone that's there — get in your truck and we will navigate safe passage for you to leave our city streets," he added. "We want this demonstration to end peacefully. ... There is a deliberate plan, there is commitment, and there's the resourcing that we now have in place to end this."
Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau authorized the Emergencies Act to give authorities temporary powers during the crisis. Trudeau on Thursday said this wasn't done in order to suspend the fundamental rights of Canadians or deploy the military. "Some protesters came to Ottawa to express their frustration and fatigue with public health measures," he added. "That's their right. But the illegal blockades and occupations are not. They have to stop."
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino on Thursday said there are links between the Ottawa protest and a blockade in Coutts, Alberta, where police seized guns and ammunition from demonstrators. Government documents released Wednesday suggest that former police officers and military members are providing security and logistics support for the Alberta blockade, Global News reports, and the country's protests have become a haven for "anti-government and anti-authority, anti-vaccination, conspiracy theory, and white supremacist groups throughout Canada and other Western countries."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
'The House under GOP rule has become a hostile workplace'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal is about more than bad bets
In The Spotlight The firestorm surrounding one of baseball's biggest stars threatens to upend a generational legacy and professional sports at large
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Goon Squad' cops sentenced for torturing 2 Black men
Speed Read The former Mississippi law enforcement officers pleaded guilty last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Michigan shooter's dad guilty of manslaughter
speed read James Crumbley failed to prevent his son from killing four students at Oxford High School in 2021
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why are kidnappings in Nigeria on the rise again?
Today's Big Question Hundreds of children and displaced people are missing as kidnap-for-ransom 'bandits' return
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Shooting at Chiefs victory rally kills 1, injures 21
Speed Read Gunfire broke out at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory parade in Missouri
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Court rules Josef Fritzl can be moved to normal prison
Speed Read 'Notorious' criminal, now 88, was convicted for raping, committing incest and imprisoning his daughter
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Post Office scandal casts new light on Robin Garbutt murder conviction
Speed Read Supporters claim faulty Horizon evidence was key to guilty verdict but victim's mother accuses former postmaster of jumping on bandwagon
By The Week UK Published