Protesters quickly adapting to police measures: Ottawa chief
CTV
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly says protesters are countering any police actions to bring an end to the “Freedom Convoy” demonstration that has occupied the downtown core of the nation’s capital for 11 days, with no signs of ending.
Speaking on CTV News at Six Monday evening, Sloly said demonstrators are adapting quickly to any enforcement efforts, such as disallowing fuel containers into the downtown core.
"What was happening during the course of the day is some of the protesters were deliberately filling jerry cans with water, literally drinking out of them to show the police that they weren't gasoline," Sloly said. "Meanwhile, they were carrying gasoline in other containers that would have been carrying water."
Police made the announcement Sunday that fuel would not be allowed into the protest “red zone” and that anyone bringing supplies to the protest could face arrest. It came hours before police seized thousands of litres of fuel from a staging area on Coventry Road.
Sloly said the countermeasures speak to the "sophistication and commitment" of the operation, as demonstrators appear able to pivot en masse in reaction to police efforts.
