I wonder if the irony is lost on them..For two weeks, a group of about 90 to 100 people have openly complained about marches, disruptions, noise, signs and blocking streets in the Beltline area, by — wait for it — marching, disrupting traffic, carrying signs, making noise and blocking streets in the Beltline..The group, the anti-marchers, is protesting a larger group the marchers, of from 1,000 to 5,000 people each Saturday, who are protesting COVID-19 mandates. The marchers gather at Central Memorial Park in Calgary, then walk a circuitous route that brings them back to the park..In more irony, the anti-marchers say the protests of the mandates should stop because most restrictions have been lifted and COVID-19 is not as big a threat as it once was. But the group was told to wear masks during their protest. To protect against COVID-19 or to hide their identities?.It takes 15 minutes for the marchers to pass any given point. When the convoy was in Ottawa, the marchers’ group grew, taking 30 to 45 minutes to pass..I know this because I live in the Beltline, along the marchers’ route, and I salute them every Saturday from my balcony. .The group is comprised of young folks, old folks and in-between folks, with their kids and dogs. They wave their flags, Canadian and American, and more recently, the Ukrainian flag. .They chant ‘freedom,” showing their signs, some professionally done, some obviously hand made. .And, a huge shout out to the Calgary Police Service, which does an incredible job of managing traffic and marchers. Not once have I seen an altercation..I get emotional when I see them, knowing there are people who, like me, want to ensure our rights and freedoms, guaranteed to us as Canadians, are never taken away..I’ve never seen any aggression by any of the marchers. They’re always peaceful, waving back at me when I wave at them, big smiles on their faces..They are definitely not the white supremacists, capable of doing all “kinds of horrible things” that Calgary city councilor Gian Carlo Carra called them in a special meeting of council on Tuesday, designed to address the Saturday marches..The anti-marchers may be another matter, but who organized them or at least encouraged them?.You decide..On Feb. 18 Calgary councilor Courtney Walcott, representing Calgary’s Ward 8, which includes the Beltline, tweeted, in reference to the marches: “There is still much to do to build a more just and equitable world. Extremists inflaming fear and anxiety does not help in this task.”.On Feb. 25, he tweeted:“Last week, I asked you to report excessive noise, traffic impacts, vandalism, and incidents of harassment or intimidation occurring in the Beltline and at Central Memorial Park. You made your voices heard.”.On March 6 his tweets said: “A few weeks ago I wrote that we needed ‘an equal swell and force of people demanding equity, demanding opportunity, challenging the rules of our society to protect the most vulnerable and truly provide equality of opportunity for all. This is what that looks like (referring to a photo of the anti-marchers blocking 17 Ave. S.W.) “While I’m frustrated and angry at these weekly disruptions alongside you, it’s the undercurrent of white supremacy that needs to be addressed. That’s the battle we need to fight today. In the Beltline. In Calgary. And across Canada.”.For two weeks, the anti-marchers blocked the marchers coming down 17 Ave. Preventing what could easily have escalated into an ugly situation, the CPS moved the anti-marchers from the avenue so the marchers could pass by..The special meeting of city council on Tuesday was called in order to draft a letter to the chair of the Calgary Police Commission, asking what the plans were for police this Saturday..City council has no authority to direct police operations..“There are very clear roles and responsibilities, and council’s role is incredibly limited,” said Mayor Jyoti Gondek at the meeting..Regardless, coming close to overstepping her bounds as usual, she made it clear she wants and expects changes..“I definitely have an expectation that something different has to happen than last weekend, because what happened last weekend was not great and it’s untenable moving into this weekend,” she said..After the meeting became acrimonious, it’s clear council should not be involved with anything to do with the marches, especially councilors irresponsibly playing the white supremacist card. They should be severely reprimanded..What needs doing is representatives of the marchers, residents and business owners in the Beltline getting together to discuss how to make it work for all of them..And given their excellent work so far, I recommend the CPS be brought in to moderate.
