Police Horses Trample Demonstrators At Freedom Convoy Protest In Ottawa

Turns out the lasting image of the Freedom Convoy protest at Parliament Hill will not be bouncy castles but that of a woman with a walker being trampled by a police horse.

The violence the Prime Minister has expressed concern about during the three-week protest in Ottawa didn’t unfold until Justin Trudeau’s Emergencies Act police army was sent in to disperse the crowd.

The three major incidents Friday, under a form of martial law, were grotesque.

Video of Toronto Police Mounted Unit officers charging into the crowd and at least one horse trampling multiple people — including an elderly woman with a walker — was disturbing.

This is disturbing. Is the woman with the walker trampled by Mounted Unit horses alive? Is she in surgery? Has ?@SIUOntario? been notified? Do you have any concerns or comment ?@OttawaPolice? ?@JustinTrudeau? ?@fordnation? ?@JimWatsonOttawa? – Why? pic.twitter.com/X251vZiIaq

— Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) February 18, 2022

But that was not the only troubling incident. Another saw a protester behind a police line repeatedly being smashed with an officer’s rifle.

And convoy organizer Benjamin Dichter also told the Toronto Sun “one of drivers had his truck windows smashed by Ottawa Police (with) guns drawn and (he was) dragged out of his vehicle by force.”

A police officer repeatedly smashes butt of rifle up and down. It appears to be on a protester. Question @OttawaPolice @JustinTrudeau @fordnation is how is person doing health-wise? Will there be probe to determine if force necessary?If someone knows who that is please contact me https://t.co/CBL5CJNA08

— Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) February 18, 2022

Police in tactical gear quickly gained ground Saturday on the second full day of one of the biggest police enforcement actions in Canada’s history, with officers drawn from around the country. Overnight, authorities towed trucks from areas where they had taken control in Ottawa’s downtown core.

Authorities advanced to the front of Parliament Hill which has been occupied by trucks and protesters since late last month.

Ottawa police addressed the protesters in a tweet: “We told you to leave. We gave you time to leave. We were slow and methodical, yet you were assaultive and aggressive with officers and the horses. Based on your behaviour, we are responding by including helmets and batons for our safety.”

A police officer approaches a truck as they deploy to remove protesters on February 19th, 2022 in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Police said one protester launched a gas canister and was arrested as they advanced. Police said “protesters continue to launch gas at police.”

By Friday evening, at least 100 people had been arrested, mostly on mischief charges, and nearly two dozen vehicles had been towed, including all of those blocking one of the city’s major streets, authorities said. One officer had a minor injury, but no protesters were hurt, interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell said.

Those arrested included four protest leaders. One received bail while the others remained jailed.

A police officer smashes a truck window as they deploy to remove protesters on February 19th, 2022 in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The crackdown on the Freedom Convoy began Friday morning, when hundreds of police, some in riot gear and some carrying automatic weapons, descended into the protest zone and began leading demonstrators away in handcuffs through the snowy streets as holdout truckers blared their horns.

The capital and its paralyzed streets represented the movement’s last stronghold after weeks of demonstrations and blockades that shut down border crossings into the U.S. and created one of the most serious tests yet for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They also shook Canada’s reputation for civility, with some blaming America’s influence.

The Freedom Convoy demonstrations initially focused on Canada’s vaccine requirement for truckers entering the country but soon morphed into a broad attack on COVID-19 precautions and Trudeau’s government.

Ottawa residents complained of being harassed and intimidated by the truckers and obtained a court injunction to stop their incessant honking.

Trudeau portrayed the protesters as members of a “fringe” element. Canadians have largely embraced the country’s COVID-19 restrictions, with the vast majority vaccinated, including an estimated 90 per cent of the nation’s truckers.

A police officer smashes a truck window as they deploy to remove protesters on February 19th, 2022 in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The biggest border blockade, at the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, disrupted the flow of auto parts between the two countries and forced the industry to curtail production. Authorities lifted the siege last weekend after arresting dozens of protesters.

The final border blockade, in Manitoba, across from North Dakota, ended peacefully on Wednesday.

The protests have been cheered on and received donations from conservatives in the U.S.