An Ottawa Soup Kitchen's Staff Was Reportedly Harassed By Protesters Wanting Food

An Ottawa soup kitchen reportedly was intimidated by protesters looking for some food over the weekend.

On January 30, Shepherds of Good Hope, a homeless shelter and soup kitchen, took to their social media accounts to share what a "difficult 24 hours" they've had.

"Our staff and volunteers faced significant barriers to get in to work. The only volunteer to make it in parked far away and walked," the message reads.

From trucks being parked in their ambulance drop-off zone to constant honks from trucks in the area, Shepherds of Good Hope said the noise caused "significant anxiety and distress" to everyone at the shelter.

On top of the reported disruption to anyone trying to get to the shelter, the statement also touches on how staff and volunteers allegedly were verbally harassed and intimidated by protesters looking for food.

"While we are not certain of exact numbers, 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. A security guard went to his aid and was threatened and called racial slurs," the post reads.

Following the news of what allegedly happened at their soup kitchen, Shepherds of Good Hope said they have been dealing with some website issues due to the number of people donating to them.

Ottawa Police said that many criminal investigations concerning the alleged "desecration of the National War Memorial" and Terry Fox statue, as well as intimidating behaviour toward police and city workers, are underway.

"We have seen multiple cases of disruptive, inappropriate and threatening behaviour from demonstrators. Police are working with organizers to facilitate the safe departure of individuals and vehicles and to ensure safety," Ottawa Police officers said in a news release posted on Sunday night.

Officers also "urged" all residents to avoid travel to the downtown core, as the demonstration is set to continue.

The Freedom Convoy arrived in Ottawa on Saturday to protest the mandatory vaccine mandates as well as the other lockdown measures that are in place.

Peter Sloly, chief of the Ottawa Police Service, stated last week that they have been in contact with organizers of the protest.

"The organizers have advised us that this will be a peaceful demonstration," Sloly said. "They have confirmed that there will be a large number of trucks and participants and that the main planned demonstrations will take place on Saturday and Sunday this weekend."