Canadian authorities say they are investigating “threatening” and ‘illegal” behavior at an anti-vaccine protest in the nation’s capital city of Ottawa over the weekend.
“Several criminal investigations are underway in relation to the desecration of the National War Memorial/Terry Fox statue, threatening/illegal/intimidating behaviour to police/city workers and other individuals and damage to a city vehicle,” Ottawa police wrote in a tweet on Sunday.
“Illegal behaviour will not be tolerated and will be fully investigated,” Ottawa police added.
Some protesters at the rally were seen carrying signs and flags with swastikas on the grounds of the National War Memorial, according to the Associated Press.
The Washington Post reported that some demonstrators urinated on the memorial and other surrounding monuments including the statue of Terry Fox, a Canadian athlete and cancer research activist.
In a statement, the Terry Fox Foundation said Terry believed in science and gave his life to help others. The statement was retweeted by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.
“The Terry Fox Foundation is proud to continue Terry’s mission of funding cancer research. Terry believed in science and gave his life to help others,” the foundation said. “Thank you to all of our supporters who help us work toward realizing Terry’s dream of a world without cancer.”
The protest was initially aimed at denouncing COVID-19 vaccine mandates for truck drivers that cross the Canada-U.S. border, but the meaning of the event had broadened as participants leveled wider criticisms at the Trudeau government’s policies.
Starting on Jan. 15, truck drivers are required to be fully vaccinated against the virus in order to enter Canada, following a similar requirement the U.S. government implemented on truck drivers entering the country.
In a statement, the Canadian Trucking Alliance condemned the actions of some demonstrators during the protest.
“The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the National War Memorial are sacred sites for Canadians. The desecration of these sites was a disgusting act and is a dishonour to those soldiers who have given their lives for our country and those Canadian soldiers who continue to fight for our freedom today,” the alliance said in its statement.
“The Canadian Trucking Alliance condemns these acts in the strongest possible terms.”