Anti-vaxxers who were part of the "Freedom Convoy" that flooded Ottawa, Canada harassed a nearby homeless shelter, eating their food and assaulting someone at the shelter. The so-called "peaceful protestors," fighting against Covid-19 mandates, also blocked the drop-off entrance meant for paramedics who need to enter the shelter.
"It's been an incredibly difficult weekend for our downtown shelter and soup kitchen programs," the Shepherds of Good Hope said in a statement, which was attached to a tweet (see below).
"The staff and volunteers at our soup kitchen experienced verbal harassment and pressure from protestors seeking meals," part of the statement said. "…the demands for meals and verbal altercations continued for several hours over the dinner period. One member of our shelter community was assaulted by protestors."
CTVnews:
"One of the people who used services in the shelter was assaulted," she said. "My understanding is that our security guard was able to diffuse the situation. Unfortunately, that person was subjected to racial slurs from the people who were assaulting the person who is using our services, but they were able to bring that person back to the shelter." …
Ottawa police said Sunday that "several criminal investigations" were underway into a number of incidents related to activities on Saturday. In a tweet Sunday evening, police said officers were aware of the reported incidents, "and have actively reached out to @sghottawa to investigate."
Freiheit said staff and volunteers described a "mob mentality" in the area on Saturday.
"For people who are working really hard to support those who are most vulnerable in our community, who are experiencing homelessness, it was a very tough day for them."
The protest, which drew in people from across the country, created gridlock and noise throughout the downtown core Saturday. Many people returned to the downtown core to continue to protest Sunday.
News of the incident at the Shepherds of Good Hope had some residents pledging to donate to the shelter in response.
In better news, the Shepherds of Good Hope was "overwhelmed" with the donations they received after Saturday's incident, calling it "staggering."
