Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in a group chat allegedly celebrated violence against Ottawa protesters, with officers making declarations such as “time for the protesters to hear our jackboots on the ground.”
The RCMP issued a
statement on the matter Sunday saying it’s “aware of the material circulating on social media pertaining to a chat group that includes some of its members, and we can confirm that we are looking into the matter. This material is not representative of those who have committed themselves to serving Canadians with integrity and professionalism.
What are the details?
Rebel News posted screenshots of what the outlet said are RCMP members bragging about using brutal force against protesters as authorities began arresting truckers and moving demonstrators out over the weekend.
In one message, an officer allegedly begged, “Don’t kick all of them out until next weeks group gets our turn.”
In another message, an officer allegedly declared, “Time for the protesters to hear our jackboots on the ground.”
Another message allegedly celebrated a video showing police on horseback trampling protesters: “Just watched the horse video — that is awesome.” The same individual allegedly added, “We should practice that manoeuvre.”
Here’s video presumably of that incident: (Content warning: language):
Police on horseback knocked down at least two people in the video, including an elderly woman on a mobility scooter.
Rebel News said it has not yet been able to authenticate the content of the texts.
What else has been happening?
Far-left Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week invoked rare emergency powers to end the Freedom Convoy trucker protests against vaccine mandates. The Canadian House of Commons on Monday approved his emergency powers.
Last Thursday, police arrested key leaders of the Freedom Convoy — Tamara Lich and Chris Barber — in Ottawa. The crackdown escalated Friday and into Saturday as police made 150 arrests.
Interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell on Saturday told reporters that individuals who attended the Freedom Convoy protests in the city could face criminal charges and financial sanctions — even if they return home without incident.
A Romanian-born trucker who’s been a Canadian for 20 years — and was beaten by Ottawa police after he said he peacefully surrendered to them over the weekend — noted that while they may have broken his body, they’ll never break his spirit.
Incident of woman allegedly trampled by Canadian police horse under investigation
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