James Top speaks to the crowd during a protest against health measures for COVID-19 in Ottawa on Thursday. Police arrested four people in downtown Ottawa on Thursday after a Canadian soldier accused of speaking against a vaccine requirements for Covid-19 led a procession in the city and spent a speech on “Freedom” to a crowd of about 1,200 supporters. James Top was charged in February with two counts of misconduct and discipline for comments made while wearing his uniform and has since led a four-month march to the capital from Vancouver. His march was supported by many of the same figures who took part in the Freedom Stadium in central Ottawa for weeks until police used force to end what they and the government described as illegal occupation. Cheers and voices “Freedom!” erupted as it arrived at the National War Memorial on Thursday afternoon. He knelt, weeping, with his hand on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before speaking to the crowd, thanking them for their support and urging them not to give up. “I have met thousands of people on my trip from Vancouver to Ottawa and many of them have lost hope. They feel lost. They are angry. They have lost faith in the system. “We have already started something,” he said. “Listen to the call. Concentrate. Get organized. Plan. What is the answer? Non-violence. Peace.” But shortly after Top’s comments, police said they were responding to a “situation” in the area and arrested four people for incidents, including attacks on police officers. Police later said the arrests were made after interacting with police “there was a confrontation and one police officer drowned”. Immediately after the arrests, dozens of officers surrounded the war memorial, holding the crowd. An officer threw water in his eyes as a woman nearby shouted for police using pepper spray. Others harassed police over “taxpayer-funded” salaries and pensions. At the same time, however, most of the crowd continued to wander around happily and peacefully, queuing for photos with Topp. Tourists and families also wandered the scene, appearing puzzled as they took pictures of the war memorial. As the sun began to set, fireworks were heard in downtown Ottawa. Two young women fired crackers as police watched. Top’s arrival in the capital and promises of a new round of protests starting Canada Day have angered residents. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and interim city police chief Steve Bell have vowed to crack down on any illegal activity. Earlier on Thursday, Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poiliev took part in the final leg of Top’s march. Poilievre walked past Topp west of downtown Ottawa, where hundreds of people had gathered to see the army reserve. The video of the meeting shows Poilievre opposing vaccination orders and quoting to Topp a famous phrase by then-Prime Minister John Diefenbaker that he was a “free Canada” when he signed the 1960 Canadian Bill of Rights. When Top said he wanted reinstatement and compensation for anyone who lost his job due to vaccination orders, Polyevre replied: “Anyone who lost their job just because of a COVID order should be reinstated, no doubt.” The two also spoke of divisions within Canada, with Poilievre saying: “People are desperately looking for hope … I think it is time to unite this country and heal the wounds and reunite our country.” The two were then followed by about 200 supporters, many of whom carried Canadian flags and some sports camouflaged backpacks and other equipment, as they walked on the sidewalk of a major street for about half an hour before Poilievre left. Hours later, hundreds of people gathered in a park south of downtown Ottawa for the final straight to the National War Memorial. A long line of protesters, including at least one wearing a black armored vest, marched across the park. At one point the crowd received a speech from a man wearing a military beret and civilian clothes, who denounced the order of Chief of Defense, General Wayne Eyre, to fully vaccinate all members of the Canadian Armed Forces. The members of the crowd strongly disapproved. Poilievre’s appearance with Topp comes as the alleged Conservative leadership pioneer has been accused of being rude to vaccine protesters and other Freedom Convoy-linked groups. Tamara Lich, the leader of the motorcade that blocked Ottawa in February, appeared in court briefly on Thursday after allegedly violating one of her terms of release. Lich, who faces multiple charges, including harassment and obstruction by police, will remain in custody until bail is heard on Tuesday. Many protesters refused to be interviewed, saying they did not trust their words to be altered. But Ottawa resident Richard Gervais, who was among hundreds of people who marched along the Rideau Canal to downtown Ottawa, called Topp an “inspiration to us all.” “Here he is, the most peaceful, the nicest, the most dignified person you would ever want to meet, and he walks to Canada to say something,” he added. Gervais said his adult son was one of hundreds of federal civil servants who were forced to take unpaid leave because he refused to be vaccinated. While the demand has since been suspended, “we never know when they will return,” Gervais said. “And we know he can come back with the weakest excuses.” He went on to accuse the World Economic Forum of trying to overthrow Canada while questioning the severity of COVID-19 and the effectiveness of vaccines. All these allegations have starred in the dialogue around the “Freedom Agreement”. Top said he had no plans to lead an occupation of the capital and called on Ottawa police to work with him to facilitate his journey through the city. However, an organizer of a group calling itself Veterans 4 Freedom said in a recent video posted on YouTube that it plans to set up a semi-permanent camp in East Ottawa called “Camp Eagle” and hold events in the city throughout the summer. While police have since been able to prevent similar demonstrations from occupying the city, stopping the scheduled demonstrations from escaping during the Canada day is likely to be complicated by the presence of thousands of people celebrating the holidays. The allegations against Top are related to two videos posted on the internet in the winter, in which the army reserve appears in uniform criticizing the vaccination requirements for military personnel and other federal officials. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are severely limited in the comments they can make when wearing uniforms, especially when it comes to criticizing government policies, largely to protect the military from any sense of politicization. His lawyer argued that such restrictions should not apply to policies that personally affect members of the Armed Forces. Prime Minister Justin Trinto said on Thursday that police were taking responsibility for keeping people safe during Canada Day celebrations “very seriously”, while Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford called on those planning to demonstrate in Ottawa to respect Ottawa. . More than two dozen Conservative lawmakers hosted Topp and other leaders at Freedom Convoy in Parliament Hill last week, posing for photos, pledging their support and listening to a lecture on the alleged dangers of COVID-19 vaccines. Health Canada says only vaccines that meet strict safety, efficacy and quality standards are approved for use in the country, and the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines continue to outweigh the risks of the disease. About 85 percent of Canadians have taken at least one dose. Top told lawmakers he was partially pushing for the abolition of all vaccine orders, as well as demanding the reinstatement of anyone who lost his job due to such a claim and compensation for lost wages. At the same time, he and others raised the specter of civil war in describing the state of the country.
