Post by ck4829 on Feb 16, 2022 18:37:18 GMT
Paranoia and alarmism: Canada truckers’ ‘intelligence reports’ hint at mindset
Leaders of the Ottawa “Freedom Convoy” protest have warned fellow protesters that the risk of violence is growing, amid speculation the police may move to disperse the nearly two-week occupation of Canada’s capital.
Daily “intelligence reports” compiled by protest leaders and seen by the Guardian – as well as public comments by the organisers – have grown increasingly alarmist in recent days.
Efforts to clear the occupiers have been complicated by their extensive physical infrastructure – including wooden shelters and hundreds of trucks – and the presence of children in about 100 vehicles, police say.
Officers have also warned that some protesters are believed to have firearms. “We’ve been worried about how tooled up these guys are,” said a source who has been part of the city’s emergency response.
The protest leaders’ reports and public comments make it clear that the occupiers will resist police attempts to move them.
In a video posted online, one of the organizers told protesters to lock themselves in their trucks if the police move in. “Guys, lock that door. Crawl into that bunk. But before you do that, grab that horn switch and don’t let go let that fucking horn go, no matter what time it is, and let it roll as long as possible until they’re busting your fucking windows down,” said Chris Barber.
In one report, Quiggin claims that “police forces are increasingly uneasy with their role” echoing a view among protesters that – unlike the upper echelons of the Ottawa police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police – frontline officers are sympathetic to their cause.
In contrast, the report accuses Sloly and other senior officers of being aligned with “corporatist power structures”.
That mentality may embolden the protesters to stand their ground.
“There has been a pervasive narrative in this movement that any violence is not the fault of the protesters, but instead instigated by ‘antifa’ … or orchestrated by the deep state,” said Stephanie Carvin, a Carleton University professor and former intelligence analyst. “In my view, this is entirely consistent with that narrative.”
www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/10/canada-truckers-protest-mindset-intelligence-reports
Leaders of the Ottawa “Freedom Convoy” protest have warned fellow protesters that the risk of violence is growing, amid speculation the police may move to disperse the nearly two-week occupation of Canada’s capital.
Daily “intelligence reports” compiled by protest leaders and seen by the Guardian – as well as public comments by the organisers – have grown increasingly alarmist in recent days.
Efforts to clear the occupiers have been complicated by their extensive physical infrastructure – including wooden shelters and hundreds of trucks – and the presence of children in about 100 vehicles, police say.
Officers have also warned that some protesters are believed to have firearms. “We’ve been worried about how tooled up these guys are,” said a source who has been part of the city’s emergency response.
The protest leaders’ reports and public comments make it clear that the occupiers will resist police attempts to move them.
In a video posted online, one of the organizers told protesters to lock themselves in their trucks if the police move in. “Guys, lock that door. Crawl into that bunk. But before you do that, grab that horn switch and don’t let go let that fucking horn go, no matter what time it is, and let it roll as long as possible until they’re busting your fucking windows down,” said Chris Barber.
In one report, Quiggin claims that “police forces are increasingly uneasy with their role” echoing a view among protesters that – unlike the upper echelons of the Ottawa police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police – frontline officers are sympathetic to their cause.
In contrast, the report accuses Sloly and other senior officers of being aligned with “corporatist power structures”.
That mentality may embolden the protesters to stand their ground.
“There has been a pervasive narrative in this movement that any violence is not the fault of the protesters, but instead instigated by ‘antifa’ … or orchestrated by the deep state,” said Stephanie Carvin, a Carleton University professor and former intelligence analyst. “In my view, this is entirely consistent with that narrative.”
www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/10/canada-truckers-protest-mindset-intelligence-reports