Canada’s freedom convoy protests: Politics, policing and the law | TheCable

time of growing fatigue over social distancing and other COVID-19 measures, the protests soon began to evolve. Some protesters have been observed bearing Nazi symbols. Reports of harassment of residents and violence against passersby, Trump 2024 signage, and hate crimes have emerged. These concerns fit into the criminal activities of right-wing groups identified in a report submitted to Public Safety Canada and have led to questions about whose freedoms the protesters are fighting for.

Law enforcement or lack thereof has been the epicenter of public discourses on the freedom convoy. At issue is the juxtaposition of the freedom convoy and how protests by Indigenous groups were handled in the recent past. While downtown Ottawa has been ground zero of the protests, the Coutts, Alberta crossing has seen its share of the blockade.

Indeed, the differential law enforcement intervention stares us all in the face. However, it is a mistake to consider this primarily or exclusively a law enforcement problem. The superficial law enforcement paralysis more than a week into the protests speaks to broader issues in our society.The response to the freedom convoy offers a glimpse into the underbelly of the criminal justice system. The law is not like the weather and its enforcement involves significant degrees of discretion.

For example, Judge Beryl A. Howell was unsparing in her critique of the “disconnect” between the gravity of the actions of the offenders and the tepid charges filed by the US Department of Justice. She described the situation as “muddled” and “almost schizophrenic” asking: ‘Is it the government’s view that the members of the mob that engaged in the Capitol attack on January 6 were simply trespassers?’ The Republican-Democrat divide on the attack was irrelevant.

Finally, it matters who is protesting and the social and political position they occupy. Although the freedom convoy has been treated lightly to date, other groups contemplating street demonstrations in the near future should be warned: Don’t try this at home.Oriola is professor of criminology at the University of Alberta, Canada. The Conversation first published a version of this article under a creative commons licence.

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