Photo: The Canadian Press
James Topp speaks to the crowd during a protest against COVID-19 health measures in Ottawa on Thursday.
Police arrested four people in downtown Ottawa on Thursday after a Canadian soldier accused of speaking out against the requirements of the COVID-19 vaccine led a procession in the city and delivered a speech on “freedom” to a enchanted crowd of about 1,200 followers.
James Topp was charged in February with two counts of conduct to the detriment of good order and discipline for comments made while wearing his uniform and has since led a four-month march to the capital from Vancouver.
Their march has had the support of many of the same figures involved in the “Freedom Convoy” that grunted downtown Ottawa for weeks until police used force to wipe out what they and the government they described it as an illegal occupation.
Greetings and chants of “Freedom!” exploded when he arrived at the National War Memorial on Thursday evening. He knelt down, 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 surrender.
“I’ve met thousands of people on my trip from Vancouver to Ottawa and a lot of them have lost hope. They feel lost. They’re angry. They’ve lost faith in the system. We’ve already started something,” he said.
“Answering the call. Gathering. Organizing. Planning. What’s the answer? No violence. Peace.”
But not long after Topp’s statements, police said he was responding to a “situation” in the area and arrested four people for incidents, including the assailants. Police later said the arrests came after an interaction with officers “turned into confrontation and one officer was drowned.”
Immediately after the arrests, dozens of officers surrounded the war memorial, holding back the crowd. An officer poured water into his eyes while a woman nearby shouted at police using pepper spray. Others argued with police about their “taxpayer-funded” salaries and pensions.
At the same time, however, most members of the crowd continued to line up for photographs with Topp. Tourists and families also strolled around the scene, looking bewildered as they took photos of the war memorial.
When the sun began to set, fireworks could be heard in central Ottawa. Two young women lit firecrackers while officers watched.
Topp’s arrival in the capital and promises of a new round of protests from Canada Day have put residents on the sidelines. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and the city’s interim police chief, Steve Bell, have vowed to crack down on any illegal activity.
Earlier Thursday, Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre joined the final stretch of Topp’s march. Poilievre walked alongside Topp west of downtown Ottawa, where hundreds of people had gathered to see the Army reservist.
The video of the meeting shows Poilievre expressing his opposition to vaccine warrants and quoting Topp as a famous quote from then-Prime Minister John Diefenbaker about being a “free Canadian” when he signed the Canadian Bill of Rights in 1960.
When Topp said he wanted reinstatement and reparations for anyone who lost their job because of vaccine warrants, Poilievre replied, “Everyone who lost their job simply because of a COVID warrant should be restored to their work, no doubt. “
The two also talked about divisions in Canada, and Poilievre said, “People are desperate for hope … I think it’s time to reunite this country, heal the wounds, and reunite our country.” .
The two were followed by about 200 followers, many of them with Canadian flags and some with camouflaged backpacks and other equipment, as they walked along the sidewalk of a major street for about half an hour before Poilievre left.
A few 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, meandered along the park.
At one point, the crowd received a speech from a man wearing a military beret and civilian clothes denouncing the order of Chief of Defense General Wayne Eyre to completely vaccinate all members of the Canadian Armed Forces. . Crowd members booed loudly.
Poilievre’s appearance with Topp comes when the alleged Conservative leader has been accused of shamelessly approaching protesters against vaccines and other groups associated with the “Freedom Convoy”.
Tamara Lich, leader of the convoy that blocked Ottawa in February, appeared briefly in court on Thursday after failing to meet one of her bail conditions. Lich, who faces various charges such as crossing and obstructing police, will remain in custody until her bail hearing on Tuesday.
Many protesters refused to be interviewed, saying they did not trust their words not to be twisted.
But Ottawa resident Richard Gervais, who was among the hundreds of people marching down the Rideau Canal to downtown Ottawa, said Topp was an “inspiration to all of us.”
“Here he is, the quietest, nicest and most decent human being you’d ever want to meet, and he’s walking through Canada to make a point,” he added.
Gervais said his adult son was one of hundreds of federal officials forced to take unpaid leave because he refused to get vaccinated.
Although the requirement has been suspended since then, “we never know when they will return,” Gervais said. “And we know he can come back with the most fragile of excuses.”
He went on to accuse the World Economic Forum of trying to take away Canada’s sovereignty while questioning the severity of COVID-19 and the effectiveness of vaccines. All these statements have occupied a prominent place in the discourse around the “Convoy of Freedom.”
Topp has said he has no plans to lead an occupation of the capital and has invited Ottawa police to work with him to facilitate his march through the city.
However, an organizer of a group called Veterans 4 Freedom said in a recent video posted on YouTube that he plans to set up a semi-permanent camp in eastern Ottawa called “Camp Eagle” and hold events in the city throughout the summer.
Although police have since managed to prevent similar protests from taking over the city, it is likely that stopping the planned demonstrations during Canada Day will be complicated by the presence of thousands of people celebrating the party.
The charges against Topp relate to two videos posted online in the winter in which the Army reservist appears in uniform criticizing vaccine requirements for military personnel and other federal employees.
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are very restricted in the comments they can make while in uniform, especially when it comes to criticizing government policies, in large part to protect the military from any perception of politicization.
His lawyer has argued that these restrictions should not apply to policies that personally affect members of the Armed Forces.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that police are taking on their responsibility to keep people safe during Canada Day celebrations “very seriously,” while Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford made a calls on those who want to protest in Ottawa to abide by the law.
More than two dozen Conservative MPs welcomed Topp and other prominent figures to the “Freedom Convoy” on Parliament Hill last week, posing for photos, pledging their support and listening to a lecture on the alleged dangers of COVID vaccines -19.
Health Canada says only vaccines that meet strict safety, efficacy and quality standards are approved for use in the country and that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines continue to outweigh the risks of the disease. About 85 per cent of Canadians have received at least one dose.
Topp told lawmakers he was leaving in part to get all vaccine warrants repealed, as well as to demand the reinstatement of anyone who lost their job because of that requirement and compensation for lost wages.
At the same time, he and the others raised the specter of civil war by describing the state of the country.