Anti-mask protesters tried to storm some Toronto stores but cops were waiting for them
Unmasked protesters attempted to impose their twisted idea of freedom on the masses this past weekend, but things didn't exactly go as planned at the three Toronto stores the group tried to storm.
The weekend of protests was triggered by a call to action from the Instagram account revolutionarycanadians, inviting people to demonstrate en masse by visiting stores sans masks.
It's the same group behind earlier protests in malls and food courts where groups refused to provide mandatory proof of vaccination and overwhelmed security.
Things got off to a rocky start on Friday when the group showed up at a Costco location at 50 Queen Elizabeth Blvd., where a video clip shows that a man was tackled and arrested by several police officers after refusing to leave the premises.
Toronto Police tell blogTO that at approximately 5 p.m. on Friday, "officers were called to attend an establishment to assist with store employees to stop a group of people from entering the premise who were not adhering to the store policy."
Police say that, after the man continued to refuse to leave, staff requested officers to intervene.
They "engaged with the man and asked the man comply with the staff's request but he refused,” resulting in his arrest under the Trespass to Property Act and removal from the premises. He was released without injury on a trespassing ticket, and nobody else was charged or arrested.
But it didn't end there, and the organizers attempted another raid at a Canadian Tire location on Sunday. This time, the cops were waiting just inside the entrance, and it went pretty much exactly as you'd imagine.
🧵Police were ready at the front entrance of Canadian Tire on St. Clair to prevent a group of maskless people from entering the store.
— Caryma Sa'd - Lawyer + Political Commentator (@CarymaRules) January 17, 2022
The same IG page promoting this “event” also had a flyer for maskless shopping at Costco, which ended in at least one arrest & a viral video. pic.twitter.com/hctS9jQVwO
The group didn't even make it to the store's turnstiles before cops halted their advance.
One of the protesters immediately cited their supposed mask exemptions, while another repeatedly grills police officers, asking them "why do you support this?"
The group of maskless people rejected personalized/curb side shopping as an alternative to physically entering the store.
— Caryma Sa'd - Lawyer + Political Commentator (@CarymaRules) January 17, 2022
One guy promised the cop would end up “famous.”#antivaxxers #Toronto pic.twitter.com/3fe6mQeEXq
While trying to encourage the group to leave the store entrance, cops assured the group that the store manager was offering assistance to help them safely shop from outside, but it's safe to assume that nobody was there to shop.
Meanwhile, the all too familiar cries of discrimination rung out.
Kyle Boisselle indignant about poor treatment: “I’ve been there for two years! How can you let that asshole talk to me like that?”
— Caryma Sa'd - Lawyer + Political Commentator (@CarymaRules) January 17, 2022
Boisselle focuses on getting into the store (ie wear a mask at the entrance & take it off to overwhelm) but others disagree. Tactical differences. pic.twitter.com/XxqUgxPmAy
Based on a clip of one irate protester tearing into his fellow attendees, the plan was apparently for the group to enter the Canadian Tire wearing masks, only to remove them after being permitted entry.
The man, reportedly named Kyle Boisselle, claims that the group brought extra masks and that they intended to "sneak in there and overwhelm them" before the plan was ultimately derailed.
But the group's crusade against businesses' right to refuse unmasked customers didn't end after they were removed from the Canadian Tire. The protesters then moved to a nearby Beer Store location where they proceeded to cause another disturbance.
The same group of maskless people who failed to get into Canadian Tire meandered over to the Beer Store. However, the clerk was not in the mood.
— Caryma Sa'd - Lawyer + Political Commentator (@CarymaRules) January 17, 2022
(As an aside, the Iranian man’s analogy makes no sense. Why would the law-abiding cashier get lashed?)#cdnpoli #antivaxxers #Toronto pic.twitter.com/mMO4MACMKc
Cops weren't waiting at the doors this time, but that doesn't mean the Beer Store employee was having any of it, arguing with the group until police did eventually arrive. Like the earlier scene at Canadian Tire, the group was soon escorted out of the Beer Store.
The IG account responsible for organizing the protests appears to be distancing itself from some of the attendees, and has since issued a statement condemning "rude and disrespectful people who try causing problems in the freedom movement."
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