The Calgary Police Service (CPS) said five people have been arrested and charged following protests at Calgary City hall on Sunday involving Israel/Palestine supporters.
According to the police, “throughout the afternoon, today, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, two groups of protestors gathered at City Hall, to show support for Palestine and Israel, respectively. Leading up to the event, we engaged with several community leaders and protest organizers, who indicated they expected large crowd size. In response, a number of CPS resources were deployed in anticipation of today’s event”
The CPS says a crowd of up to 2,000 people attended the event and officers were on scene to “monitor the event, manage public safety and maintain the peace.”
Police said although a lot of protesters were cooperative and acted in a “lawful, peaceful and respectful manner, a group of 100 people eventually separated from the main protest group and continued marching to the intersection of northbound Macleod Trail and 4 Avenue S.E., causing a complete blockage of traffic.”
“Behavior within this group continued to escalate and as a result, five individuals were taken into custody. Shortly after these arrests, traffic was restored in the area”, said the police. Three demonstrators have been charged with assaulting a peace officer. A fourth was reportedly charged with obstruction of a peace officer.
The fifth person was released without charges.
“We continue to appeal to all demonstrators to act responsibly and protest within the laws. Anyone who jeopardizes public peace, endangers others, or participates in illegal activities, will be held accountable for their actions”, said the police.
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