Ottawa, Ontario, September 7, 2023 – unceded Anishinaabe Algonquin territory. After 2 weeks of peaceful civil  disobedience in the capital, On2Ottawa claims that their fundamental  charter rights have been infringed upon by the capitol police and the  court system in Ottawa, after over 20 arrests.

On2Ottawa claims there have been  instances of suppression of 1) freedom of speech, 2) freedom of  expression, 3) freedom of movement, and 4) freedom of association and  peaceful assembly, all of which are explicitly protected by The Charter.

“I have been banned from the  province of Ontario, for nonviolently sitting down on the road to demand  protection for our communities and firefighters. Restricting my freedom  of movement in such a severe way is a violation of my charter rights,”  said Ginny, one of the individuals arrested by Ottawa police. Other  individuals have been banned from large areas of the city, while those  involved with the Portage Bridge protest have been banned from  Gatineau.

On2Ottawa claims there has been  an instance of a protestor being banned entirely from advocating on  behalf of the group publicly, as well as any association with members of  the group. The group says this is a violation of their charter right to  free speech, freedom of expression, and freedom of association.

The group claims that it will  put forward an application to an Ontario judge to strike down release  conditions that they deem unreasonable at best and most likely a  violation of people’s Charter rights.

On2Ottawa says that the current  action phase is coming to an end, with the exception of a final slow  march this Friday, and that the government will have a few weeks to  implement a National Fire Fighting Agency before the group returns with a  more disruptive action phase.