Planned protest in Fredericton raises concerns about impact on residents, businesses

Police and elected officials in Fredericton say they're worried about the impact on residents and businesses of a protest convoy planned for the city's downtown core this weekend.

"I am very concerned about the convoy that is being planned for this weekend for public safety reasons and because of the significant disruption it could cause to Fredericton residents and businesses," said Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers in an email statement.

An online flyer has been circulating recently on social media, titled "New Brunswick Freedom Convoy 2022."

It calls on participants to gather at the New Brunswick legislature at 1 p.m. on Friday and "Come together & grid lock Fredericton while our fellow NB Freedom Fighters hold the line in Ottawa."

It also tells participant to "be prepared to sleep in your vehicle & and ride this out."

The planned protest follows the rallies in Ottawa over the last week by a convoy of truck drivers and protesters demonstrating against vaccine mandates.

The convoy has attracted thousands of protesters to Parliament Hill, clogging traffic in the downtown and prompting the City of Ottawa to declare a state of emergency.

An earlier protest against COVID-19 restrictions and vaccination mandates in Fredericton on Jan. 22 attracted about 400 people and led to clashes between protesters and police.

On Monday, the Fredericton Police Force posted on Twitter that it was aware of "protest activity" planned for the weekend, adding it is co-ordinating with other agencies to ensure the response can be adjusted based on the situation.

"Rest assured that our primary responsibility is to ensure the safety and security of everyone," wrote Chief Roger Brown in another tweet. "Our goal is to ensure that the impact on residents and businesses is minimized."

The force also asked the public to be patient, noting it will continue to communicate information.

CBC News asked the police force for more information about its planned response to the protest. Spokesperson Alycia Bartlett said in an email the force will be in a better position to address those questions later in the week.

Speaking with CBC's Harry Forestell on Monday, Premier Blaine Higgs said New Brunswick Public Safety officials are working with the Fredericton Police Force and the RCMP to "come up with a plan to be ready."

Quick enforcement by police will be critical, experts say

If this weekend's protest takes place, it will be important that any illegal activity gets addressed as soon as possible, said St. Thomas University criminology professor Michael Boudreau.

"If it looks like very early on, people are breaking the law … then the police may need to move in sooner before it becomes a bigger event," Boudreau said.

"And I think in the case of Ottawa, of course, with the advantage of hindsight, they allowed things to go on for too long and the protesters then became more emboldened … as a result, it became even more difficult for the police to then enforce the laws that are in place."

Proactive messaging needed from police

Candyce Kelshall is president of the Canadian Association of Intelligence Studies in Vancouver, which studies extremism and nationalist movements in Canada.

She agreed that proactive measures like restricting traffic within downtown, and ticketing law breakers early and consistently will be important to prevent the protest from getting out of control.

She also said Fredericton police should publicly address participants of the protest beforehand so that they have a clear understanding of what will not be accepted.

"Then there can be no argument for any arrests that might occur or tickets that might be given out if there was enough forewarning given in advance that the police were going to be observing the law to the letter," she said.

Kelshall said she's been monitoring Facebook activity around the planned protest, and estimates about 2,800 people plan on attending.

She said it's worrying given that the so-called "freedom movement" behind the protest appears to overlap with far-right groups, with shared sentiments around challenging authority.

"That's just what's happening on the social media front. So it stands to reason that when this group of people come together for this particular protest, that they come in with the same intentions, and that it will be provocative."