Police force anti-terrorism law protesters out
A protestor is held by police officers after police moved in on a group of people who had been occupying a portion of Federal Justice Minister Anne McLellan's constituency office in Edmonton on Monday. Photo: Ed Parsons/CP
Canadian Press
Edmonton — Demonstrators who had been occupying the constituency office of federal Justice Minister Anne McLellan were forcibly removed from the building Monday night.
About 50 protesters and several labour union members chanted slogans as police charged them with trespassing and loaded them into three vans.
"We have a democratic right to assemble guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms," yelled out protester Mike Hudema, one of those who had been occupying the office since Friday in protest of the federal government's anti-terrorism legislation.
"We have assembled here to assert our democratic right because of the undemocratic process that our government has gone through in terms of ramming this legislation through."
There was a minor scuffle between a police officer and a representative from the Canadian Labour Congress when he shouted at police for being too rough with a female protester.
The protester would not walk and was yelling "they're hurting me" as she was dragged toward the police van and then handcuffed.
Two other people, a man and a woman had to be carried to a van.
The woman told officers she was disabled, so the officers sat her on the step of the police van, handcuffed her and then lifted her into the vehicle.
Police spokesman Dean Parthenis said the protesters had been given every opportunity to have their say and had even been offered office space elsewhere in the building to prepare for a meeting with Ms. McLellan on Dec. 17.
"It's gotten to the point where staff here feel it's gotten unsafe," Mr. Parthenis said.
"We're not trying to get in the middle of what the protesters want to accomplish but they wanted a date to meet with the minister and that has been set."
Fiona Cavanagh, one of the protest's leaders, had said earlier the group wants more public debate over fears the new anti-terrorism measures will curtail civil liberties and the right to protest.
"I'm a concerned person who is standing up for what they believe in," she said Friday. "I hope people continue to voice their concerns and stop these bills. Call for public forums and call for the community to be talking about this. This is not going to go away and we must stand up for what we believe in."
As the group prepared for the arrival of police earlier in the day, protesters were given instructions on how to respond and told to write the names of their lawyers on their arms.
On the weekend the protesters staged a mock eviction by moving two tropical plants, decorations and some furniture from the office foyer to the sidewalk outside.
They also set up a rented hot tub on the snow-covered lawn outside the minister's office.
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