Canadian truckers have been protesting in Ottawa since late January

By Timothy H.J. Nerozzi | Fox News

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Police watch ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests in Ottawa

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Police addressed the public Saturday regarding the ongoing trucker Freedom Convoy protests raging in Ottawa, Canada.

The press conference comes on the heels of mass arrests and aggravated clashes between law enforcement and the protesters, who have now grown in numbers to include not only Canadian truck drivers but also members of the public and even Americans who have traveled to join the cause.

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They faced a barrage of resistance, shoving and vitriol. We all saw that the protesters were aggressive with the officers and we needed to use horses at one point,” Police Chief Steven Bell said at the conference. “As a result, we responded this morning by adding helmets and batons to our equipment for the safety of our officers.

He continued, “Our officers continued to face resistance at one point, a flare was ignited by a protester. Officers used a chemical irritant also known as pepper spray, to disperse unlawful demonstrators who were resisting police orders. Sadly, we again saw young children being brought to the unlawful demonstration and to the front of our police.”

Ottawa Police move a line of protesters from the intersection at Sussex and Rideau Streets in Ottawa on Feb. 18, 2022. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star)

Canadian truckers have been protesting in Ottawa since late January calling for an end to COVID-19 mandates. On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history. 

Reporters questioned Bell on rumors and video that purported to show violent clashes between the horse-mounted officers and protesters.

“What I can indicate is there was two members of the protesters who did collide with the horses. They fell down,” Bell told the reporters. “They immediately got back up and started to again engage in their protest and demonstration activity. That is one of the circumstances where as we monitor it, we’re identifying this information as quickly as we can, providing accurate, real information about what is occurring on the ground.”

The police chief warned about “misinformation” coming out of Ottawa’s protest, and assured the public that they would be quick to turn around reliable info as it becomes available.

Video

Asked about reports of violent beatings at the protests, specifically baton injuries to retreating protesters, the chief doubled down on the necessity of force in shutting down the demonstration efficiently.

“As indicated earlier, we will have the opportunity to review all of those files. There are complaint mechanisms for people to enter into if they feel that there is excessive use of force by members of our police service,” Bell said. He added, “This occupation is over. We have advised them that if they peacefully leave, they may go home. That still exists. We also indicated that we would escalate and forcibly remove people from the streets if they did not comply. Some of that is what you’re seeing. So I will stand here today again and say this demonstration is over. Go home. If you don’t go home, we will remove you from the streets.”

Signs of support are planted in a snow bank near the parliament building where trucks have formed a blockade of streets as a demonstration led by truck drivers protesting vaccine mandates continues on February 16, 2022 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canada’s history to try to put an end to the blockade which is now in it’s third week.  (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Ottawa police on Friday announced the arrests of more than 100 protesters participating in demonstrations against COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates in Canada that have been ongoing for weeks.

Authorities also removed 21 vehicles in Canada’s capital on Friday night as protesters refused to vacate certain areas surrounding Parliament Hill and appeared to clash with police in videos posted online.

Video

“You must leave,” Ottawa police said in repeated messages posted to their Twitter page in an effort to disperse protesters. “You must cease further unlawful activity and immediately remove your vehicle and/or property from all unlawful protest sites. Anyone within the unlawful protest site may be arrested.”

Fox News’s Audrey Conklin, Jon Michael Raasch, and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/canadian-freedom-convoy-ottawa-police-address-ongoing-trucker-protests-arrests-of-participants

“As of this moment, I’m convinced he’s made the decision. We have reason to believe that,” President Joe Biden said Friday, citing U.S. intelligence.

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Feb. 20, 2022, 11:30 AM PST / Updated Feb. 20, 2022, 12:59 PM PST

By Josh Lederman and Courtney Kube

WASHINGTON — The U.S. has picked up intelligence showing that Russian military officials were given an order to go ahead with an invasion of Ukraine, a U.S. official and another person with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.

The intelligence, which was developed very recently, informed President Joe Biden’s startling declaration on Friday that the U.S. believes President Vladimir Putin has already decided to invade, the individuals said.

The U.S. then witnessed Russian military units taking steps to carry out the order in preparation for an invasion, further bolstering the assessment that Putin could strike at any time, they added.

“As of this moment, I’m convinced he’s made the decision. We have reason to believe that,” Biden said at the White House Friday. Asked how the U.S. knew, the president said only: “We have a significant intelligence capability.”

Biden’s assertion had marked a shift after weeks of saying the U.S. believed Putin hadn’t made a final decision. On Saturday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he agreed with Biden that Putin had decided to invade and that Russia’s military was now in “the stance that you need to be in to attack.”

White House officials say that the threat level in eastern Ukraine and along the Russian border has not diminished over the weekend, despite diplomatic efforts by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a major annual security conference in Munich. The White House said that Biden was briefed again on Saturday by his aides that “Russia could launch an attack against Ukraine at any time.”

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On Sunday, Biden convened a rare weekend meeting of the National Security Council focused on Ukraine, the White House said. Austin and Blinken, both newly back from Europe, were spotted entering the West Wing shortly before noon. A White House official said Harris would participate in the meeting remotely from Air Force Two while she flies back from Germany.

Blinken, who on Thursday told the U.N. Security Council of an elaborate Russian plot to fabricate a pretext for war, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Putin’s actions since then are “following the script that I laid out.” He pointed to his earlier predictions that Russia would mount false flag operations in eastern Ukraine and use purported temporary military exercises to justify a military buildup near Ukraine’s border.

“Everything we said was likely to occur in the lead up to the actual invasion is happening,” Blinken said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/us-intel-shows-russian-military-officials-order-proceed-invasion-ukrai-rcna17002

By Samantha Noble
BBC NewsPublished5 days agoShare

Two men have been fined in court for illegally fishing for crayfish in Derby.

Xiao Chaun Zhang and Weiqui Lui were spotted by police near St Mary’s Bridge on the River Derwent at about midnight on 23 July 2019.

The pair were seen by officers throwing traps in the river, the Environment Agency said.

Zhang and Lui, both from Nottingham, were fined at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

The agency said some signal crayfish had been caught, and a chicken carcass – which was being used as bait – was also found.

The defendants had modified crates to make traps to catch signal crayfish, an agency spokesperson added.

‘Deterrent’

According to the public body, the trapping of crayfish for human consumption is banned as it can cause the spread of disease, known as crayfish plaque.

Trapping can cause the spread of plaque from invasive signal crayfish to native white claw crayfish, which is fatal to the latter.

Zhang, 41, of Prospect Road, was fined £400 and ordered to pay a £40 victim surcharge and £650 costs.

Lui, 39, of Alfreton Road, was fined £233 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £33 and costs of £650.

A spokesperson for the agency said: “We hope the high penalty will act as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of fishing for crayfish.

“Money raised from fishing licence sales is used to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries, benefitting anglers and, for those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.” 

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-60392186