Calgary police accused of intimidation, violence after pro-Palestine rally last weekend

Calgary police are being accused of intimidation and violence after arrests were made and tickets were handed out during a pro-Palestinian protest last weekend.

Police officers arrested three people following the rally on 17 Avenue SW on Sept. 15. A group of more than 100 protestors gathered at Tompkins Park in the afternoon for what police called a “non-permitted event.”

Police and bylaw officers were on scene to tell the group about their violation of city bylaws, including the use of an amplification device “which caused disruption to the community,” according to a social media post.

Three people were also arrested — two for obstruction and one for obstruction and assaulting a police officer, CPS says.

Wesam Cooley, organizer for the Calgary Justice for Palestinians Organization was one of the people arrested. He says they were having a safe and lawful protest until the officers started making arrests.

“They pulled these people out into the street during the arrests,” said Cooley. “There was active traffic driving through as they were pulling these people off.”

He says the protesters have been repeatedly subjected to excessive intimidation since they started hosting demonstrations 11 months ago.

“The only thing that was unsafe that day was the behaviour of Calgary police,” says another protester Emily Beckley.

Both Cooley and Beckley say the protest was heavily surveilled, with police using drones and helicopters to monitor the rally.

“We feel less safe with the police there,” says Cooley. “It’s outrageous…but all they bring is this intimidation and violence.”

In a statement to CityNews, Calgary police say the event organizers were refusing to work with the officers.

“The Calgary Police Service polices behaviours not beliefs,” reads the statement. “CPS’ actions are dictated by protestor behaviour.”

“The lack of cooperation was despite attempts from officers leading up to and during the protest that would have allowed for a safe and lawful protest to occur.”

CPS say the officers had to move to enforcement to ensure the safety of the protesters, motorists, and community members.

Cooley and the group say they were told by the City of Calgary that protesting at Tomkins Park is now allowed.

In a statement, the city says they encourage anyone organizing public gatherings to use Municipal Plaza, adding they provide “relatively unrestricted access” to the plaza for protests.

The city confirms the 12 tickets issued during last weekend’s protest were from bylaw officers — eight were traffic tickets for parading on a road without a permit, three were violations of the Parks and Pathways bylaw, and one ticket was for “unauthorized material on the street.”

ASIRT still investigating CPS response to UCalgary encampment

The University of Calgary Students’ Union called for an independent review into the police response at a pro-Palestinian encampment that popped up on the schools’ campus back in May.

Police used pepper balls to help break up the crowd which, at its peak, was estimated to be around 150 people. The union says multiple students were injured during the police response.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating CPS’ response to the encampment at the request of Premier Danielle Smith. The investigation is ongoing.

Cooley previously faced a hate-motivated charge for causing a disturbance following a protest in downtown Calgary last November where he was accused of using a ‘from the river to the sea’ chant at a rally.

He claimed he should not have been charged because the phrase is not offensive.

Many Palestinian activists say the chant is a call for peace and equality after 75 years of Israeli statehood, but Jewish people hear a clear demand for Israel’s destruction.

With files from Dione Wearmouth and The Canadian Press