Calgary's Mayor Went Off On The  Freedom 'Parade' & Said Law Enforcement Was 'Shameful'

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek called on the city's law enforcement to stand with the Beltline community after tensions escalated at a protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates on Saturday, March 12.

In a series of tweets, Gondek branded the weekly demonstration that has been taking place in the Beltline every week as a "parade" rather than a protest.

"At Central Memorial Park, it's a festival with merch & food vendors. Yet no permits or licenses," she said.

Gondek claimed that law enforcement agencies have asked Beltline residents and businesses to wait for the protests to wind down on their own, a move she described as "shameful."

"Why not enforce the bylaws? Why is the standard response that this will 'fizzle out'? It won't. This is not about mandates. Those are gone. By waiting for this to die out, enforcement agencies have allowed it to grow," she said.

"It's past time to face the fact that this 'protest' requires more than 'crowd control'. Enforcement must stand with the community," she added.

Courtney Walcott, councillor for Calgary's Ward 8, also chimed in on Twitter, criticizing law enforcement's handling of the protests and saying there had been "unequal treatment of protestors" after videos went viral that allegedly showed some Calgary police officers pushing counter-protestors with bikes.

"One group was met with aggression, the other, submission. If the intended outcome was non violence, today was a failure," he said.

Calgary Police Service issued a statement following the protests saying up to 2,000 people had attended and "cooperation from protest groups was limited."

"Opposing protests became involved in a confrontation, creating a block on 17 Avenue S.E., for more than an hour. […] After receiving limited cooperation and recognizing the volatility of the situation, officers had to take action to avoid further escalation of the crowd," police said.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.