Police on Guard’s, Len Faul’s, letter on protests
Police on Guard’s, Len Faul, retired Toronto Police Service Inspector, wrote about the recent protests and the vast difference in how they are being handled by Police. Read Len’s opinion and let us know what your thoughts are on this subject.
February 13th, started badly with yet more abuses of Toronto citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly while exercising their right to protest the draconian lockdown measures. I was baffled to see another peaceful protest, also in Toronto, by the Friends of the Foundry, and not a police officer in sight anywhere near this protest. This one was attended by Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam, MPPs Suze Morrison and Chris Glover (both NDP), and Annamie Paul, leader of the Green Party. They exercised their rights of peaceful assembly without being threatened with arrest, ticketed or dispersed by an overly officious police force!
Sadly, the negative method of policing is not just in Toronto. Aylmer police Chief Zvonko Horvat must be aware that our Charter of Rights and Freedoms GUARANTEES not only freedom of assembly, but also freedom of religion. But the congregation attending Pastor Hildebrandt’s service face persecution, or as Chief Horvat puts it, “Our investigation, this time around, will hopefully identify those individuals that were not only organizing but also in attendance and we will be charging all of those that we can identify…Everybody who is identified will be charged.” Charged for exercising their rights and religious beliefs? Back to feeling badly again for the sad state of our Province.
Sunday was a better day though. A large peaceful protest was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Hundreds of citizens gathered to peacefully protest the outrageous lockdown measures; the illegal internment quarantine camps; the dangers of the experimental Covid19 vaccine; the ineffectiveness of masks; and the dreadful suicide rate among young people caused by these issues. All issues which in other parts of our Province would be more than sufficient for our Federal, Provincial and Municipal governments to send in the Storm Troopers to break up a group of wonderful people who dare to suggest government policy is detrimental to the freedoms and well-being of its own citizens.
The gathering on Parliament Hill was ‘policed’ by the Parliamentary Protective Services (PPS), under the Command of Chief Superintendent Kevin Leahy RCMP, an experienced, seasoned Police Officer. We waited with bated breath to see how they would respond to an event that had a permit, and a stage with loudspeakers.
There were no uniformed RCMP officers in sight. The few uniform PPS officers were professional, polite and engaged their public in a decent, respectful manner. No one was threatened, no tickets issued and no one chased away.
The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) is under the Command of Chief of Police Peter Sloly, former Deputy Chief Toronto Police Service (my Police Service). Before the protest I had contacted Staff Sergeant Kevin Kennedy, Event Planning Section, Ottawa Police Service regarding their view of protests during these dreadful times. He assured me that “our position is to respect a person’s rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. If there are concerns related to COVID, our approach is always to focus on education”. The OPS had a few officers in a couple of vehicles parked nearby, only to go on the Hill if called to do so by the PPS, which didn’t happen.
Perhaps Acting Chief of Toronto Police Jim Ramer, for whom I had respect can have his troops stand down and become Police Officers again, to Serve and Protect ALL the great citizens of Toronto.
The reputation of the Service and the good rapport with its communities is at great risk if this heavy-handed approach continues. We must remind ourselves that the police are the public and the public are the police. Perhaps something can be learned from Ottawa?
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