Ottawa police made several arrests Thursday evening on Parliament Hill as hundreds of ‘Freedom Convoy’ protesters continued to ignore demands they leave the city’s downtown core.
Reporters on the ground witnessed several people on Parliament Hill being put in handcuffs by police, including convoy organizers Chris Barber and Tamara Lich.
Fellow organizer Pat King confirmed Barber had been arrested. A lawyer representing some of the convoy’s organizers confirmed on Twitter that Lich had been detained
CTV News has learned Barber and Lich will face charges of mischief and counselling to commit mischief.
In video footage posted online of Lich being arrested, she can be heard telling the remaining protesters to “hold the line.”
Despite the arrests, many protesters continued to dance in the snow while blasting music as dozens of rigs remained parked in the area.
Protesters have camped out since the end of January on Wellington Street, where Parliament is located, and in surrounding neighbourhoods to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions. In spite of recent court injunctions that were obtained to silence truck horns downtown, many continue to blare their horns.
Large numbers of police officers in yellow vests were seen Wednesday and earlier Thursday handing leaflets to protesters, warning them to leave or face the risk of arrest.
The arrests began hours after the city’s interim police chief warned Thursday afternoon that action to remove “Freedom Convoy” demonstrators was “imminent.”
Speaking at a press conference, Interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell, who replaced former police chief Peter Sloly this week following his resignation, urged protesters to leave the downtown area.
“We want to end this unlawful protest peacefully and safely,” Bell said.
Bell said police from different parts of Ontario and Quebec, as well as the RCMP, have joined Ottawa officers and they are “absolutely committed” to ending the protest.
