Have Canadian police “stolen” fuel from demonstrators who have been present for ten days in Ottawa, the Canadian capital? The assertion
spreads on social networks, from Facebook to TikTok. In a video, about ten seconds long, police officers monitor cans placed in wheelbarrows, while they are surrounded by demonstrators who are members of the “freedom convoy”.
Fuel is essential to supply the trucks and vehicles that form this convoy, present in the center of the capital for ten days.
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We find the same scene filmed live by other protesters. The scene takes place in peace, specifies a demonstrator. With this second video, we see that the images were filmed in front of Saint Andrew’s Church, located 800 meters from Parliament, in the heart of Ottawa where the demonstrators met. In addition, the cans seized by the police are identical to cans used by the demonstrators in recent days to supply the trucks and other vehicles of the convoy.
These images show seizures by the police. Law enforcement announced on Sunday that “anyone” who brings “support material”, including gasoline, to protesters “is subject to arrest”. The police announced on Sunday evening that they had seized “several vehicles” as well as fuel, without specifying the quantities. According to the Canadian channel CTV Newsthe police
seized 3,200 tons of gasoline Sunday on another site, the parking lot of an Ottawa baseball stadium which served as a base for the demonstrators.
The mayor also toughened his tone, announcing a state of emergency on Sunday afternoon. The demonstrators in the convoy, who converged from all over the country towards the capital, are calling for the end of certain health measures taken to fight the Covid-19 epidemic.