During the trial of protest organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, an Ottawa police officer testified on October 27 that Freedom Convoy protesters reacted with hostility when they were given notice to disperse. Sgt. Jordan Blonde described the situation as a hostile crowd forming on Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, near Parliament Hill. He explained that the hostility was so intense that the police liaison team decided to withdraw from the area and stop communicating with the protesters due to the yelling, screaming, and swearing. Sgt. Blonde stated that he did not want to experience such a hostile situation again.
Ms. Lich and Mr. Barber are well-known organizers of the trucker convoy protest that occurred from late January to mid-February 2022. They are currently facing charges for counseling to disobey a court order, counseling to obstruct police, and mischief that interferes with the use and enjoyment of property.
The federal government invoked the Emergencies Act on February 14, 2022, for the first time since its passage in 1988, to bring an end to the large-scale protest against vaccine mandates and other pandemic restrictions.
Sgt. Blonde testified that on February 16 and 17, he was responsible for distributing arrest notices to the protesters in order to encourage them to vacate the Ottawa downtown core. He described the mood of the protesters as very upset and quite hostile, especially at the corner of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive, near Parliament Hill. Many of the individuals he encountered were yelling, screaming, and expressing their displeasure with the notices. The officer also mentioned witnessing a protester placing a notice in a toilet in the middle of the street and another protester following the police officers to dissuade others from taking the notices.
Sgt. Blonde attempted to warn the protesters that staying would result in their arrest. However, many of them were adamant about getting arrested. He tried to explain the consequences of being taken into police custody. Eventually, warning the protesters about potential arrests was abandoned for safety reasons on February 17. The following day, a massive police operation involving hundreds of officers, including mounted police and officers on foot, commenced to clear the protesters from Ottawa’s downtown core.
The trial is expected to continue on October 31.