Several arrested at pro-Palestinian rallies, gathering at police station

Multiple people have been arrested over the past week at pro-Palestinian rallies and at a gathering outside the Ottawa Police Service's (OPS) Elgin Street headquarters.

In a Saturday evening post on X (formerly Twitter), Ottawa police said they had made a pair of arrests at a demonstration earlier in the day.

The arrests compelled a small group to gather Sunday morning outside police headquarters, where Sarah Wazzi-Moukahal  — a "well known organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement" who also goes by Sarah Abdul-Karim  — was also arrested.

Wazzi-Moukahal had been speaking on the phone with CBC News about the demonstrations when police arrested her.

"We have been protesting every single week for over 400 days now," she said, adding that before this week there had been no issues with the demonstrations.

The group has a police liaison officer who communicates with OPS prior to their demonstrations to ensure compliance, Wazzi-Moukahal said.

CBC Ottawa has obtained a video of her arrest where three officers are seen placing her in handcuffs.

Rima Abdul-Karim, her mother, spoke with CBC News shortly after her daughter's arrest. 

"It was just community members sitting and waiting because [the woman arrested Saturday] was supposed to be released," she said. "[We were] just sitting to welcome the person who's going to be released to feel supported."

In a Sunday afternoon news release, OPS said they had arrested a 29-year-old woman earlier that day in connection with a pro-Palestinian demonstration on Nov. 18, but would not confirm her identity.

Police said the woman is set to appear in court tomorrow and faces charges of obstructing police work, committing public mischief, advising to commit mischief and participating in an unlawful assembly.