Hundreds flock to Alberta legislature to protest
EDMONTON – Protesters gathered outside the Alberta legislature Wednesday afternoon, de-manding the province lift COVID-19 public health restrictions that forced businesses to close.
Around 200 attendees raised signs and chanted “End the lockdown,” despite provincial rules carry-ing fines between $1,000 and $100,000 for gatherings of 15 or more. Michael Banner, a spokesperson for End the Lockdown Alberta, which organized the rally, said the province has done a good job of slowing the spread of the coronavirus, but called for a return to earlier rules that limited gatherings to 50 people and let restaurants operate at 50 per cent capacity, and allowed schools to remain open.
“The level lockdown got us to where we are, and I think … we’ve won that battle … All the mod-els showing that we’re going to flatten that curve is exactly what we’ve done. And we need to get people back to work,” he said Tuesday.
In a Monday press conference about COVID-19, Premier Jason Kenney said the province’s “phased” plans to lift some restrictions would be released later this week. His press secretary, Christine Myatt, repeated that information Tuesday, saying in an email the government understands people are frustrated, and “this hasn’t been easy on anyone.”
A convoy of vehicles with the group United We Roll honked while driving around the legislature, sporting signs calling to “End the lockdown” as part of the protest.
At the rally, some carried signs saying closures hurt small businesses, that palliative care visits with people who are dying is a human right, and showing support for Alberta’s oil and gas industry. Others outlined conspiracy theories.
A few attendees loudly taunted the police and media who were present. Others cheered for U.S President Donald Trump and slammed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
When asked about the size of the gathering, Banner he said he didn’t expect it would be so large.
“I never expected as many people to show up initially, quite honestly. It was more of a, ‘We need to balances against our freedom of speech to get the economy going again,’ ” he said told reporters at the rally.