OPP Falsely Blamed for Escalating Violence at Site of Indigenous Land Dispute, Commissioner Says

Ontario Provincial Police stand near a blockade on Argyle St. South in Caledonia, Ont., after a judge granted a permanent injunction against a land reclamation camp known as 1492 Land Back Lane, on Oct. 23, 2020. The Canadian Press/Tara Walton

Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Thomas Carrique says protesters falsely blamed officers for escalating tensions related to an indigenous land dispute at the McKenzie Meadows development site in Caledonia.

Carrique released a video on Twitter that shows demonstrators with their faces covered approaching a parked police cruiser with two officers inside it. One demonstrator walks up to the driver’s side and starts to hit the door and window with a lacrosse stick. Another throws a rock at the windshield, cracking it, while another is seen throwing something at the car.