Ottawa police arrest protesters for allegedly blocking road

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Ottawa police have arrested 4 pro-Palestinian protesters for allegedly blocking a downtown road throughout an indication on Monday night.

Police mentioned Tuesday demonstrators gathered on Elgin Road at roughly 5 p.m. the night time earlier than “and had been suggested by the Police Liaison Workforce members a number of instances that they would wish to restrict their demonstration to the sidewalk and never hinder site visitors.”

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Demonstrators didn’t comply, police mentioned.

Professional-Palestinian protests and marches have change into a mainstay on the streets of downtown Ottawa for greater than a yr, because the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas assault on Israel, and Israel’s subsequent retaliation, escalated the continued warfare within the area. Tons of of Professional-Palestinian demonstrators have routinely gathered on the human rights monument on Elgin Road and marched by way of the streets of downtown Ottawa and the ByWard Market, flanked by police.

Sarah Abdul-Karim, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Motion, mentioned usually, the protesters’ police liaison tells police the place the group plans to march shortly earlier than the demonstration begins.

“We didn’t do something totally different from what we do within the standard protest. However the response from police was totally different,” she mentioned.

“From the second we confirmed up on the human rights monument there have been large quantities of police. They refused to allow us to take the streets to march, though we had been too many individuals to suit on the sidewalk.”

Abdul-Karim says police instructed the protesters they wanted to present police superior warning of their plans, one thing they’ve by no means required beforehand. Police additionally instructed organizers their numbers had been too low to take the streets, although previously, protesters have marched with even smaller teams, she mentioned.

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This newspaper has requested OPS why protesters weren’t allowed on the road, and is awaiting a response.

Abdul-Karim says the group had deliberate to march by workplace buildings of corporations which have enterprise dealings with Israel’s army, and opted to protest on the sidewalk, per police’s directions. However as they marched, among the giant group cut up at a crosswalk and spilled out onto the highway.

“If somebody stepped barely exterior they might push us, shoving bikes into individuals,” she mentioned. “They lifted up their bikes, pushed the wheels into individuals. Some individuals put their palms as much as shield themselves from the bikes, and so they arrested these people.”

Movies posted to social media present OPS officers pushing their bike tires and handlebars into the gang, and a minimum of one individual being arrested.

The police press launch says protesters started marching however “shortly turned north on Metcalfe Road and took over the road,” and “despite repeated orders from police and dialogue with PLT (police liaison group) members at that location, the demonstrators remained and interactions between police and demonstrators started.”

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One individual was charged with assaulting police and three individuals had been charged with each mischief and obstruction of a peace officer, police say. All 4 had been anticipated to seem in court docket Tuesday afternoon.

After 4 individuals had been arrested, the protesters gathered on the OPS headquarters on Elgin Road. There, protestors acquired a $490 noise infraction bylaw for utilizing a sound system.

In an e mail assertion to this newspaper, Roger Chapman, town’s director of bylaw and regulatory companies, mentioned bylaw officers had been referred to as to police headquarters for a noise criticism, and protesters had been “unlawfully utilizing speaker programs, whistles and horns.”

Officers initially offered a verbal warning to organizers after which carried out a number of noise readings, displaying sound ranges of greater than 95 decibels, he mentioned.

The town’s bylaw officers have “educated the organizers of the protests quite a few instances previously concerning the rules prohibiting the usage of audio system on Metropolis property,” he mentioned. “Continued failure to comply with officers’ directions will lead to additional enforcement motion.”

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Previously, town has levied noise bylaw tickets towards pro-Palestinian protesters, however haven’t been giving out tickets in current months.

Earlier this yr, a coalition of greater than 50 neighborhood teams referred to as for metropolis corridor to protect protesters from being fined for noise violations while using megaphones and speakers at protests. It got here after town handed out greater than $23,000 price of tickets to protesters at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, rallies for transgender youth, picket traces for putting staff and local weather change protests.

Abdul-Karim mentioned she took the $490 bylaw ticket and the group meant to proceed to make use of their sound system, as they’ve carried out at prior protests, was threatened with arrests and fees of mischief.

“The messages we’re getting are combined, and all very aggressive,” she mentioned. “It was actually actually tousled, the way in which they handled us.”

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