Mayor Gondek calls on law enforcement to do more as tension grows at Beltline protests
CBC
Mayor Jyoti Gondek is calling on law enforcement to take more action against people protesting COVID-19 mandates in Calgary's Beltline neighbourhood.
Tensions were high Saturday afternoon between anti-mandate protestors, counter-protestors and police as the groups met along 17th Avenue S.W. for the second weekend in a row.
Calgary police estimate there were 2,000 protestors on Saturday.
In a Twitter thread, Gondek called the anti-mandate protest a "parade" without any permits or licenses. She also questioned why bylaws weren't being enforced.
"This is not about mandates. Those are gone. By waiting for this to die out, enforcement agencies have allowed it to grow. Telling residents/businesses to wait it out = shameful," she wrote.
Anti-mandate demonstrators waved Canadian flags, honked horns and shouted 'freedom' on Saturday, as they turned onto 17th Avenue from Fourth Street S.W. before encountering a smaller group of counter-protestors.
Police attempted to keep the two groups apart, but protestors came face-to-face with only a line of police separating them. Eventually, anti-mandate protestors made it past the group of counter-protestors to continue down 17th Avenue S.W.
According to police, the confrontation between the two groups blocked the area for more than an hour.
Videos circulated on social media showed at least one officer seemingly pushing back counter-protesters. In some of the videos police are seen using bikes to push protestors.
"It is important to be cognizant that these demonstrations occurred over several hours and individual photos and short video clips do not always portray the complete the picture," Calgary police said in an email statement.
"Our members worked with all parties in attempt to negotiate an alternative that allowed them to peacefully demonstrate, however after receiving limited cooperation and recognizing the volatility of the situation, officers had to take action to avoid further escalation of the crowd and minimize the disruption to nearby residents and businesses."
The police added that officers collected "a significant amount of evidence" which they will review with investigators to determine possible enforcement.
Ward 8 Coun. Courtney Walcott, who represents the area and is also a member of the Calgary Police Commission, tweeted his support for Beltline residents on Saturday, calling action by police "a failure."
"Being down in the Beltline today, seeing the unequal treatment of protestors—the impact of these protests runs deep," said Walcott.
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