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During a pro-Palestine demonstration that blocked Bronson and Sunnyside Avenues for two hours, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) allegedly responded with physical aggression toward student protesters.
During Carleton University’s fall open house on Oct. 26, Carleton students and community members blocked the Bronson Avenue entrance to campus.. Carleton’s Campus Safety Services monitored the demonstration alongside OPS.
Participants stated the demonstration was mobilized by individual students and was not affiliated with any Carleton student groups.
In an Oct. 28 email to the Charlatan, Steven Reid, Carleton’s media relations officer, said that the protest blocked the main entrance to the university and was “technically” on city property.
“As the protest occurred at a busy intersection on City of Ottawa property, the Ottawa police attended and interacted with the group,” the email reads.
A video circulated on Instagram on Oct. 27 shows a protester blocking cars and holding a Palestinian flag. A moment later, an OPS officer pushes them off the street and onto the sidewalk, where the protester raises their hands up in the air.
The individual, who declined to speak on the record with with the Charlatan regarding the incident, confirmed they did not sustain any physical injuries.
Helen, a Carleton undergraduate student, who provided a pseudonym because she desired privacy and feared repercussions, acted as a legal observer during the demonstration in case an altercation occurred. She noted the incident in a notebook she carried.
The protester was “quite shaken up” and “sore” after the incident, Helen said.
OPS arrived 15 minutes after the demonstrations began at 9:30 a.m., Helen said. Prior to the filmed altercation, Helen said that same OPS officer “ripped” a canvas banner out of a protester’s hands before throwing it into the bushes under the Carleton sign.
Protesters were using the banner, which had “No universities left in Gaza” written on it, to block the car lane.
“That was the first thing that started the further aggression,” Helen said. “After the officer did that, [he] then went in for the protesters blocking the lane and [tried] to pull them onto the sidewalk.”
In an Oct. 29 statement to the Charlatan, OPS stated that officers attended the demonstration and asked protesters to “stop blocking the vehicle entrance.
“There were no incidents to report and no charges were laid,” the statement reads.
As the altercation was taking place, Helen also noted that another OPS officer and a Carleton Safety Services special constable officer intervened to separate the crowd of protesters that had gathered around the individual.
“They were pulling people away who were trying to get to the protester and then blocking them physically from getting closer,” Helen said.
Everything occurred within a five-minute span, she said. Helen said she was involved in a separate conversation when she noticed the altercation and had to remind herself to remain calm.
“It was a bit of immediate panic of like ‘Oh, God, what do I do? How do I help?’”
Helen said that there were no new developments that she was aware of.
Featured Image provided by anonymous student.
