More arrests and towed vehicles marks day two of police finally taking out the trash. Weapons have been seized.
Yesterday, Ottawa residents collectively said “finally!” as police moved in and began clearing the streets of what has been responsible for their torture for three weeks now. In a news conference seen by Freezenet, police confirm that more arrests have been made today. The number arrested has now topped 100 and more belligerent occupiers who refused to leave are getting arrested as we report.
The police action today has been described as slow and methodical. These are themes that have been carried over from yesterday. Reports indicate that the occupiers had been resistant, refusing to comply with orders to leave, and even going so far as to assault at least one officer at one point. Reporters have also noted that tents had remained up, one reporter describing one setup as a kitchen with a BBQ, food, bottled water, and a toaster oven. All indications suggest that a number of the hardcore extremists were never going to leave and continue to disrupt the lives of Ottawa residents.
Reports also indicate that occupiers defied police requests to not bring children in the area. Some occupiers continued to bring in their children in a long standing effort to use them as human meat shields. A number of occupiers continue to insist that they were not doing anything wrong. Some were holding out false beliefs that if they are non-violent, then they can’t get arrested. The occupation, of course, has been long declared an illegal protest and that warnings have been issued for days that they need to leave the area.
Misinformation Kicks into Overdrive on Social Media
Foreign troll farms and botnets have long been a fixture of the movement. Obviously, most Canadians do not support the terrorist occupation and manpower has been an ongoing theme throughout this ordeal. So, the terrorists had to employ the use of botnets and troll farms to inflate their support online. Obviously, the terrorist occupation has long been known partly as a major astroturfing campaign. So, misinformation and lies have been a major theme throughout this. Authorities have indicated that they have been combating these operations as of late.
One example they cited was that someone with a walker was struck and killed by police on horseback. Authorities indicate that no one has been killed and that the images in question were photoshopped. For us, that doesn’t surprise us as that does continue some of the themes we’ve seen throughout.
One of the organizers still at large reportedly told his fellow terrorists that it was the fault of the police for violence. Obviously, the occupation has been violent with their psychological torture of laying on horns 24/7. There have been numerous reports of assaults and harassment by the terrorists directed at visible minorities and people wearing face masks. We’ve seen reports of residents being harassed on public transit systems, being ordered to remove face masks or risk getting kicked off the vehicle.
Of course, this is the benefit of living in an alternate reality. You can pretend some actions don’t exist and invent your own narrative that suits you. So, the terrorist organizer saying that it was the police that caused the violence fits in with the other behaviour. They have long divorced themselves from reality and continue to live in their far right fantasy land.
Weapons Seized in Ottawa
Some of the information we received is that weapons have been seized by police. While there is no full accounting of the different weapons that were seized, one report indicated that smoke grenades were among the weapons seized by police.
Weapons being found in the possession of the terrorists is nothing new. Earlier this week, RCMP seized a massive cache of weapons in Alberta. That photo of long guns, bullet proof vests, bear spray, and more ultimately contributed to the downfall of that particular border seizure.
The terrorists have since tried to distance themselves from the weapons cache saying that they had no knowledge of the weapons and that they had nothing to do with the weapons. Anti-hate groups point out that hate groups have been a huge part of these occupations. Those weapons, according to the anti hate groups, are connected to hate groups thanks to visible symbols.
As weapons get found in Ottawa, the terrorists are also trying to distance themselves from those weapons. Among the laughable comments is that they were planted as part of some deep state operation to discredit them. Yet, despite multiple seizures of weapons, they continue to insist that they are a peaceful demonstration despite the overwhelming evidence that they are anything but peaceful. Again, the joys of living in an alternate reality.
Reality Comes Crashing Down
Police have been observed with camera’s. Evidently, they were taking video footage of the demonstration. While it was pretty obvious that they were, in fact, gathering evidence, it wasn’t clear to what extent that evidence was going to be used. Police commented that the footage is, in fact, being gathered. As it turns out, the evidence gathered will be poured over the coming months to determine what charges need to be laid. So, even after some of the occupiers dispersed, the police do have that discretion of tracking down and laying charges against those attending an illegal operation.
One of the reasons why the police are able to perform these actions is thanks to the Emergencies Act. The Conservative Party of Canada has been saying that the Emergencies Act was not necessary, yet this is more evidence that the Emergencies Act was, in fact, necessary here. This over top of the fact that blockades came down thanks in part to the invoking of that law.
Ottawa Residents Still On Edge
While the police operations was seen as a light at the end of the tunnel for residents, many are pointing out that this is far from over. Some still fear retaliation from the terrorists with this police action. We’ve seen in the past attempts to handcuff residential building doors. Before that, there was the likely linked case of two people taping the doors of another residential building before attempting to light the old building on fire. So, there is certainly reason to believe that some might decide to try and exact revenge on the residents of Ottawa.
Now, police have created a secured zone. They said that anyone seen in the zone will get arrested. So, police are still trying to liberate the city streets.
Tamara Lich Has Bail Hearing
Meanwhile, one of the organizers, Tamara Lich, has had her bail hearing. She appeared with the shirt “I heart oil and gas”. Lich was among multiple organizers arrested yesterday and she was saying how she doesn’t have much money and that her bank account has been frozen. While she says that she has few assets to her name, her husband apparently flew in on a private jet. From the CBC:
A second major organizer of the so-called Freedom Convoy will have to wait a few more days before an Ontario Court of Justice judge decides whether to grant her bail.
Tamara Lich, the Alberta woman behind a now-halted GoFundMe campaign that raised over $10 million to support the protest in Ottawa, was arrested and charged Thursday with counselling to commit mischief.
Lich, who lives in Medicine Hat, Alta., and her husband both work in the oil and gas sector. Lich told the court she has no savings and few assets, including a 2017 Jeep and 2018 Ford F-150 that they’re continuing to make payments on.
She also offered no suggestions how she would be able to make her way back to Alberta if ordered to, since she travelled to Ottawa with Barber, whose bail conditions include that he not communicate with her.
Lich has been a major player in the demonstrations in Canada’s capital, which have lasted for more than three weeks and have attracted international attention.
Ottawa police said Saturday they had made 170 arrests and towed 53 vehicles out of the occupation zone.
Dwayne Lich has been proposed to act as her surety, meaning he would have to report if she breached any bail conditions.
In his testimony, he said he flew to Ottawa on Feb. 2 on a private jet at a cost of $5,000, paid for by a “nice gentleman” named Joseph that he’d only recently met.
“But he told me that my plane ride was taken care of, which was a miracle,” he told the court.
$306 Million Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against the Organizers
Organizers are also on the receiving end of a $306 million class action lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by Paul Champ on behalf of Ottawa residents. This is the same lawyer that helped with an injunction that stopped the horn blaring earlier on in the occupation. He says that every day this occupation carries on, another $15 million gets tacked on. From City News:
Ottawa lawyer Paul Champ and the businesses, workers and residents he’s representing aren’t done with the so-called “Freedom Convoy” yet.
In an announcement via Twitter on Thursday, February 17, Champ said he is suing organizers, truckers and donor for $306 million and counting.
“Each day is another $15 million in personal harm and lost revenues and wages,” Champ wrote. “If you live, work or do business in this Zone, you will be a part of the class action.”
As Champ explained, registration is not needed, but for businesses and other to keep records of their losses.
As many observers know, many businesses in Ottawa were forced to shut down due to fears of personal safety. There were reports of threats, vandalism, and even smashed windows. In one case, a business had their window smashed because they had a pride flag in their window. What’s more is that many employees have been forced to stay home and experience losses in wages. After all, if a business is shuttered, the employee in question isn’t getting paid. What’s more is that there has been significant harm caused by the terrorists on the residents just living in the area.
While the situation in Ottawa is very dynamic still, police action suggests that there is a light at the end of the tunnel throughout all of this. Some might be wondering if these actions are real, but streets are in the process of getting cleared. Between the streets having large trucks removed and arrests being made, there are positive signs to be had here at the very least.
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
