Police Warn Of 'Consequences' For Violence & Hate As Freedom Convoy Arrives In Ottawa
"Public safety is paramount."
Police are warning residents not to participate in violence or criminal activities ahead of the Freedom Convoy's arrival in Ottawa.
The convoy, composed of Canadian truckers, is set to arrive in Ottawa on Saturday as part of a national protest against vaccine mandates.
Ottawa police took to Twitter on Thursday to reveal its intention of providing a safe space for the demonstration while indicating that threats had been made in relation to the event.
"Police and our partners are focused on providing a safe environment for the community and demonstrators. We are aware of inappropriate and threatening language on social media related to this event," the tweet reads.
"We welcome peaceful demonstrations. That said, public safety is paramount – there will be consequences for persons engaging in criminal conduct, violence and/or activities promoting hate," they added.
Peter Sloly, Chief of the Ottawa Police Service, also addressed the issue during a virtual press conference on Friday.
"The organizers have advised us that this will be a peaceful demonstration," Sloly said. "They have confirmed that there will be a large number of trucks and participants and that the main planned demonstrations will take place on Saturday and Sunday this weekend."
"With demonstrations of this scale, there are significant risks to be mitigated that we cannot fully eliminate. For instance, we have a major traffic plan to ensure that emergency lanes are kept open in the downtown core," he added.
However, despite various measures being in place, Sloly warned that some aspects of the protest would be too significant to control, such as the unknown duration of the event and the possibility of "social media actors" inserting themselves into the demonstration.
