Counter-protest pops up in Calgary amid so-called ‘freedom marches’
Posted Feb 27, 2022 7:05 pm.
Last Updated Feb 27, 2022 7:06 pm.
Hundreds of people took to the streets of downtown Calgary on Saturday in what has become a weekly protest against COVID-19 mandates. However, this time counter-protestors greeted them.
A number of Calgarians who are frustrated with the noisy protests formed the group Community Solidarity Calgary and set up along 17th Avenue S.W.
One of the organizers with the group, Patrick King, says downtown residents feel trapped when the so-called “freedom protestors” take to the streets.
“We’ve heard from folks who say they just can’t get out of their homes or they are afraid to get out of their homes. Something I’ve heard from a few different folks are that their animals are terrorized as well. If you have cats at home and there are air horns going off, they don’t understand what is going on and they’re just super stressed out.”
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King says he has also heard from healthcare workers at the Sheldon Chumir who disguise themselves now because they’ve been harassed when walking into the facility.
Organizers say about 30 to 40 of them out with signs on Saturday.
While interactions were reportedly peaceful, a smoke bomb was set off.
“I didn’t witness who threw it. I was standing close to it. I heard people start to yell and scream about it,” said Kevin Schlauch, who caught the smoke on camera.
King was also nearby when it happened and says it was alarming.
“As soon as you see something like that go off, you don’t know what that is exactly. You don’t know if it’s meant to be a stink bomb or just smoke or if it’s CS gas or something. We were very lucky that it dissipated very quickly. A police officer was able to kick it into the snow, I believe, and that helped to put out the device,” he said.
King says the group was prepared for potentially tense interactions but was not expecting to see anything like that.
Police confirmed they were aware of the incident but could not identify where the smoke bomb came from.
Schlauch says the group met beforehand and discussed their plan, agreeing that they were just there to show support for Beltline residents and healthcare workers and would not escalate if things became tense.
He says police formed a line between the two groups to ensure everyone’s safety.
