“Fifty percent of the Ottawa police force have all turned in their resignation.”
No, half of Ottawa’s police force didn’t quit in connection with the ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests
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- No one has resigned because of the demonstrations, according to the police department and police union.
Amid ongoing demonstrations in Ottawa in connection with the “Freedom Convoy,” a caravan of truckers who drove to Canada’s capital to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates, are claims that police officers there are pushing back against their marching orders.
“Fifty percent of the Ottawa police force have all turned in their resignation today,” a man associated with the convoy said in a video posted on Facebook on Feb. 7.
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We emailed the Ottawa Police Service about the supposed resignations.
“There is no truth to this,” Constable Paramjit Singh told us. “There have been no resignations due to the demonstration. All available Ottawa police officers are working.”
Officers have arrested and ticketed people participating in the protests, according to the police service.
We didn’t find any evidence that half of the city’s police officers have quit or threatened to.
Matt Skof, president of the Ottawa Police Association, a union that represents most officers in the service, told the Associated Press that none of the association’s sworn or civilian members have quit over the protests.
We rate this post False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Feb. 7, 2022
Ottawa Police Service Facebook post, Feb. 6, 2022
Associated Press, Posts falsely claim 50% of Ottawa police quit over protests, Feb. 7, 2022
The New York Times, A Moment for Canada’s Far Right, Still Struggling for Support, Feb. 7, 2022
Email interview with Constable Paramjit Singh, Ottawa Police Service, Feb. 8, 2022