[seemack]

I just want to address the comment about most protests involving discomfort to normal people. I live and work in the downtown core of Ottawa. I'm sure you will not be surprised to hear that the city is a focal point for protests and has had many of them, large and small, over the years. I completely agree that protests often include some measure of discomfort for random, unrelated citizens.

However, I can tell you that there has never been a protest even remotely close to the number of torments this protest inflicted upon the residents of the city. I personally know numerous people who were harassed verbally and physically while walking in the streets simply for wearing a mask. A downtown mall was forced to close for multiple weeks due to protesters refusing to follow masking rules. Think of the retail staff who lost out on multiple weeks of pay. There was an attempt to set fire to a residential building with the main lobby door being taped shut. Fireworks were being set off on city streets downtown. Extremely loud horns were being sounded throughout all hours of the day and night, including train and boat horns that could be heard throughout the downtown core. People were prevented from buying groceries within a reasonable distance due to the grocery store having to close; the workers having been harassed while working by protesters. Numerous small retail shops in the downtown were forced to close their doors due to protester harassment and reduced traffic as people largely felt unsafe in the downtown core. There was an instance of protesters harassing a homeless shelter into providing them food.

This was not discomfort. This was a complete prevention of the ability to feel safe in their homes and neighbourhood for a large swath of Ottawa residents who had nothing to do with the mandates. Many people were materially affected by this and had no way of escaping beyond leaving the city.

[frabbit]

> "complete prevention of the ability to feel safe"

Kind of a hard thing to prove. I don't feel safe due to climate destruction. Can we invoke the Emergencies Act against the Canadian fossil fuel industry and the automotive parts manufacturers to make me feel better?

[seemack]

I really don't think it was that hard to prove. If you look up the injunction against the horns, it specifically cited the volume being well into what the law considered harassment. The fact that it was granted and extended shows that the judge felt the people of downtown as a whole were being harassed.

If you can get the majority of people to agree that they feel unsafe due to climate destruction and neither the municipal nor provincial governments respond accordingly, then, by all means, invoke the emergency act. I'd certainly be on board.

[raxxorrax]

They protested against vaccination mandates and the store closure was due to government policy. To be honest, this sound very peaceful for a protest all in all.

Feeling unsafe is often invoked lately to restrict the rights of others. I don't believe this is sufficient in a larger context.

[seemack]

Please show me your source for saying that the mall was closed due to government policy.

[raxxorrax]

I have none and I could be wrong.

[seemack]

You have no source and could be wrong but still declared that it was closed due to government policy?

I don't know what agenda you have but I will no longer be responding to you since you don't seem to be able to interact in good faith.