Key organizers of the Freedom Convoy trucker protest were arrested in Ottawa on Thursday evening.
Tamara Lich, a spokesperson for the demonstration, and organizer Chris Barber, were among the protesters who were arrested.
Both arrests were filmed and posted on social media. WATCH: Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich hauled away on the streets of Canada’s capital pic.twitter.com/hd8oT2DBhc
— Truckasaurus Poso 🚛🦖 (@JackPosobiec) February 18, 2022
According to the Freedom Convoy Twitter account, Lich and Barber have been charged with "counseling to commit mischief."
Barber has additionally been charged with "counseling to commit obstruction." Update on Chris Barber and Tamara Lich arrests.
Chris Barber has been charged with:
*counselling to commit mischief
*obstruction
*counselling to commit obstruction
Tamara Lich has been charged with:
*counselling to commit mischief
— FreedomConvoy2022 (@rFreedomConvoy) February 18, 2022
Police have vowed to crack down on the protesters and warned that anyone remaining in the coming days will be arrested.
“We are going to take back the entirety of the downtown core and every occupied space,” Ottawa Interim Police Chief Steve Bell told the city council on Wednesday.
"It will be a very different picture of the downtown core this weekend than it has been from the previous three weekends," Bell said. "We want people to peacefully leave. But I can tell you that if they do not peacefully leave, we have plans, strategies and tactics to be able to get them to leave."
Police have been handing out fliers warning of the impending crackdown.
"Police on Wednesday handed demonstrators fliers in English and French telling them to leave or face arrest. They warned that participants who are convicted of crimes could be barred from entering the United States. They handed out leaflets to protesters again Thursday morning," the Washington Post reports.
The convoy has been protesting against vaccine mandates for drivers traveling between the US and Canada for the last four weeks.
Lich has said that her bank account has been frozen by order of the Canadian government after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked Canada's Emergencies Act. She was the person who started the GoFundMe campaign that raised over $10 million to support the convoy before the website shut it down.
After being barred from GoFundMe, she launched another campaign on GiveSendGo. That fundraiser brought in nearly $9.6 million.
GiveSendGo was subsequently hacked and convoy donor information was released online, prompting several journalists to begin harassing them. I fail to see why any journalist felt the need to report on a shop owner making such a insignificant donation rather than to get them harassed. It’s unconscionable and journalists need to do better. https://t.co/oF7WIoS1jp
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 16, 2022
In an emotional video posted earlier this week, Lich explained that she knew her arrest was imminent. Lich also offers prayers and calls for love for police, journalists and Justin Trudeau (of the they-know-not-what-they-do variety). pic.twitter.com/RZiVEd7OxU
— Glen McGregor (@glen_mcgregor) February 17, 2022
"I'm okay with that," she said in the video. "And I want you to know that I am not afraid."
