The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) published a statement on Sunday confirming it is “looking into” alleged screenshots of text messages circulating this weekend that appear to show Canadian officers celebrating police brutality against the Ottawa Freedom Convoy protesters.
Law enforcement began a violent operation this weekend against the Freedom Convoy, a peaceful protest movement seeking an end to civil rights violations like vaccine and mask mandates, business lockdowns, and other coronavirus-related government limitations on freedom. The Convoy is largely trucker-led and has consisted of large trucks occupying major cities and blocking international road crossings. Its largest iteration was in Ottawa, where police dispatched officers on horseback to attack unarmed protesters beginning on Friday and have reportedly arrested nearly 200 people, despite no reports of significant violence prior to the police’s arrival.