[Bagor]

UOttawa prof who thinks that drivers licences and insurance should have been revoked from the off.

Surely the multiple powers that be must be aware of this options which begs the question why haven't they acted?

For someone with a background in criminology and the sociology and anthropology of law, this has been a “Disneyland” for research on the policing of protesters and mass events.

“Protests are dynamic things, you need to see how protesters adjust to police,” said Velloso, who has done similar fieldwork at other protests, including the G20 protests in Toronto in 2010, which culminated in over 1,000 arrests, and the 2012 Quebec student protests over tuition hikes.

Armed with a mask and earplugs — and sometimes deploying an app that measures loud noises — the University of Ottawa law professor tallies up protesters and police, notes where they’re located and where they move, attends media conferences and monitors social media.

There are two things about this Ottawa protest that are different from others, Velloso says. The first is the alt-right tenor of the event — although he pays attention only to the broad political context unless it affects the governance of a protest.

The second thing is the trucks, and that has changed everything, Velloso says.

“If you had the same quantity of protesters and removed the trucks, it would be a tiny protest. Sometimes there are more police than protesters.”

Police can’t arrest a truck, but they can do lots of things that target trucks, such as revoking drivers’ licences and insurance. These measures should have been used sooner, Velloso says.

“A truck does not have Charter rights. You don’t have the right to protest with a truck.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/a-uot...-on-the-ground