Iranian Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri is reported to have suspended operations by morality police after weeks of widespread rioting. There has been no corroboration of his order, whether it is permanent, or any indication that the law mandating women’s dress code would be terminated. [node:read-more:link]
Even as his own government continues to violently suppress growing public protests, including sentencing some protesters to death, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi today lauded his country as a champion of rights and freedoms and the rule of law. “Iran has the most progressive constitution in the world,” he said at one point during a speech, insisting that it “guarantees fundamental rights and legitimate freedoms.” [node:read-more:link]
While no group has claimed responsibility for a weekend explosion that killed six people in Istanbul, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu today blamed the Kurdistan Workers Party and Syrian Kurdish militia. Forty-seven persons, including a Syrian woman suspected of planting the bomb, have been detained. [node:read-more:link]
A former member of the RCMP and Prime Minister’s personal protection unit says he did not leak the PM’s schedule ahead of last winter’s “Freedom Convoy” gridlock in Ottawa. The allegation was in a redacted Ontario Provincial Police report to the inquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act but Daniel Bulford, who resigned from the RCMP last December because he disagreed with the government’s vaccination mandate, adamantly rejected the suggestion. [node:read-more:link]
Imran Khan, the Pakistani prime minister ousted in a vote of no-confidence last April, has survived an attack during a protest march in Wazirabad. Khan was wounded in one leg when a burst of gunfire struck his vehicle, but one person was killed and five others were injured. An assailant was immediately detained by police. [node:read-more:link]
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said today that “America and the Zionist regime, and their employees” are behind widespread rioting in his country. The unrest, which has resulted in hundreds of arrests, was sparked by the death of a young woman in the custody of Iran’s “morality” police. [node:read-more:link]
The acting director of the Parliamentary Protective Service said September 29 that Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson did not return calls at the height of last February’s “Freedom Convoy” that paralyzed the capital’s core. Larry Brookson told a parliamentary committee that neither Watson, who is not seeking re-election next month, nor the city’s manager evidently were available to discuss a negotiated end to the three-week seige. [node:read-more:link]
The RCMP feared that serving Mounties sympathetic to the convoy protest in Ottawa earlier this year might leak operational plans to protesters, says an internal threat advisory obtained by CBC News. "Those who […] are sympathetic to the movement […] may be in a position to share law enforcement or military information to the convoy protests." [node:read-more:link]
The RCMP spent $2.8 million dealing with last winter’s “freedom” blockades in Ottawa and Alberta, excluding regular salaries. This is according to a reply to an Access to Information request CBC access to information request, which also disclosed that most of the total is due to extraordinary travel costs, accommodations and meals during the month-long lockdown in Ottawa. [node:read-more:link]
As the national capital braces for more “freedom” protests over the Canada Day weekend, interim Conservative Leader Candice Berger says her caucus is free to attend the protests. “I support peaceful and legal demonstrations, and if my MPs want to be there, they're free to do whatever they want, and they'll answer to their constituents,” she said on the weekend. Meanwhile, Ottawa police plan to ensure no long-term blockage of the city’s downtown core. [node:read-more:link]
Profanity-laden harassment of NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh in Ontario this week “would rank among the worst experiences” of his political career. He said May 11 that the incident in Peterborough as he was campaigning for a provincial candidate reflected a worsening trend. “We should be able to disagree as a society respectfully, maybe even angrily, but it doesn't have to come to the point where it's getting so polarized that people's safety is at risk.” [node:read-more:link]
Police in Victoria police say that “freedom” protests in their city over nine weeks months racked up nearly $360,000 in overtime for uniformed and civilian staff. However, since the events focused on B.C. legislature, the costs are being covered by the provincial government. [node:read-more:link]
A large police presence in Ottawa over the weekend ensured that the “Rolling thunder” biker rally ended with more of a whimper than a bang. There were, however, a few confrontations which resulted in at least 10 arrests, some 40 vehicles being towed and more than 760 tickets issued. [node:read-more:link]
With a convoy of 500-1,000 motorcyclists expected to arrive in Ottawa this weekend for rallies near Parliament Hill and the Canadian War Museum, police say they are prepared to enforce the full letter of the law to ensure the situation remains peaceful. The “rolling thunder” organization includes a military veterans’ club which says its aim is to “restore fundamental freedoms for all” while upholding the law. [node:read-more:link]
The Ottawa Police Service says the federal government will cover all costs incurred during the “freedom convoy” protest that paralyzed the capital’s downtown for several weeks earlier this year. The overall policing costs, including RCMP support, amounted to some $35 million. [node:read-more:link]
