Multiple people have been arrested over the past week at pro-Palestinian rallies and at a gathering outside the Ottawa Police Service’s (OPS) Elgin Street headquarters.
In a Saturday evening post on X (formerly Twitter), Ottawa police said they had made a pair of arrests at a demonstration earlier in the day.
A woman was arrested for allegedly assaulting an officer following “repeated non-compliance with orders from police,” the post said.
Police said they also arrested a man for interfering with the demonstration.
The woman’s arrest compelled a small group to gather Sunday morning outside police headquarters, where Sarah Abdul-Karim — a “well known organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement,” according to an emailed statement from Labour for Palestine Ottawa — was also arrested.
Abdul-Karim had been speaking on the phone with CBC News about the demonstrations when police arrested her.
“We have been protesting every single week for over 400 days now,” Abdul-Karim said, adding that before this week there had been no issues with the demonstrations.
The group has a police liaison officer who communicates with OPS prior to their demonstrations to ensure compliance, Abdul-Karim said.
CBC Ottawa has obtained a video of her arrest where three officers are seen placing her in handcuffs.
Rima Abdul-Karim said her daughter was sitting outside the Elgin Street station Sunday when she was arrested. Ottawa police said they arrested and charged a 29-year-old woman in connection with a rally held on Nov. 18. (Faith Greco/CBC)
4 arrested at Nov. 18 demonstration
Rima Abdul-Karim, her mother, spoke with CBC News shortly after her daughter’s arrest.
“It was just community members sitting and waiting because [the woman arrested Saturday] was supposed to be released,” she said. “[We were] just sitting to welcome the person who’s going to be released to feel supported.”
In a Sunday afternoon news release, OPS said they had arrested a 29-year-old woman earlier that day in connection with a pro-Palestinian demonstration on Nov. 18, but would not confirm her identity.
Police said the woman is set to appear in court tomorrow and faces charges of obstructing police work, committing public mischief, advising to commit mischief and participating in an unlawful assembly.
OPS also arrested four people during the Nov. 18 rush-hour demonstration, alleging in a media release the following day that they were obstructing traffic downtown and not keeping to the sidewalk.
One of the four was charged with assaulting police, OPS said.
Police said Sunday they’d identified others in the crowd committing offences on Nov. 18, but they “deemed that it would not be safe to make arrests at the time and risk an escalation.”
“We recognize the concerns raised by members of the community regarding these arrests. The OPS is committed to ensuring community safety and respecting the lawful right to protest,” police said in their Sunday media release.
“Any charges related to demonstrations are carefully considered with this balance, and we are focused on balancing the need for public safety with fostering trust and understanding.”