WATCH: ‘Arresting me for… political dissent?’; Hamilton police handcuff activist Caryma Sa’d at Doug Ford campaign stop

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By Nathan Sager

Published May 26, 2022 at 7:42 pm

Toronto lawyer and activist Caryma Sa’d was arrested at an Ontario PC Party campaign event on Thursday. (Twitter/@CarymaRules)

Toronto lawyer and self-described political satirist Caryma Sa’d was handcuffed by Hamilton police officers outside of an Ontario PC Party campaign event where leader Doug Ford appeared.

A video posted to Sa’d’s popular @CarymaRules Twitter account drew over 120,000 views within one hour and 40 minutes of being posted on Thursday night. A Hamilton Police Services office arrest Sa’d for trespassing and yanks her phone away from her, saying she had to turn over her property because she was being arrested. The event took place at John C. Munro Hamilton Airport.

“This is the Hamilton police — arresting me for… political dissent?” Sa’d said in a video posted at 6:31 p.m. on Thursday.

“Can she leave?” a man off-camera asked.

“No — she’s had her opportunity,” an HPS officer replied.

Sa’d has documented anti-public health, anti-government and anti-science rallies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Freedom Convoy protests last winter that escalated into a three-week illegal blockade in downtown Ottawa. She has amassed about 33,800 Twitter followers.

One of Ford’s adult children, Krista Haynes, supported the Freedom Convoy.

In another video shared by Sa’d on Thursday, a man orders her to leave, saying, “We know who you are, you’re all over the place.” She then asked for a written notice of trespass and was told, “That’s not how it works.”

Ford, whose Ontario PC Party is trying to win a second consecutive majority government in the Ontario election on June 2, had an event that began at 7:30 p.m. at the Hamilton International Airport (9268 Airport Rd.). A tweet from the incumbent premier’s account said admission was free.

“I can’t wait to see you there!” Ford’s account said.

The Ontario PC Party web page for the Hamilton event says, “It is highly recommended to RSVP.” In fact, Sa’d had a hard copy of a confirmation of event registration in her hand.

“It had my name on it,” Sa’d told a male security guard. ” ‘We look forward to seeing you soon, sincerely Doug Ford.’ ”

Hamilton Police said shortly before 9 p.m. that they “charged a 33-year-old female with trespassing,” and gave her a ticket. That is believed to be Sa’d. They said a protest formed after Ford arrived at the airport around 5:30 p.m., and that the woman was released after being ticketed.

“A protest subsequently formed outside the premises and eventually moved onto private property, blocking the road to the Cargojet facility,” HPS said. “The protesters were asked to move off the roadway. All individuals complied but one individual refused to move and was arrested.

“The individual was transported off the property and immediately released with a ticket for Trespass to Property.”

The event was in the Flamborough—Glanbrook riding. Donna Skelly is running for re-election for the PCs in the rapidly urbanizing riding. Allison Cillis (Ontario New Democratic Party) and Melisse Willems (Ontario Liberal Party) are the main challengers.

There have been instances during this campaign of security working for Ford using physical force toward protesters or journalists. The Hamilton Police Service also had a recent scandal that involved arresting racialized social justice activists, whose charges were dropped months later.

On the first count, on Monday, a member of Ford’s security detail put his hands on Global News reporter Seán O’Shea, who was interviewing Ford as he toured the site where a category-2 tornado touched down in Uxbridge.

On May 16, as Ford was escorted into a televised Ontario leaders’ debate, one of his security shoved a male nurse from behind into the pavement. Several media outlets reported that the nurse suffered a brain injury (commonly called a concussion).

In Hamilton, there was community outrage last fall after HPS officers arrested six housing advocates, five of whom are Black, after they protested the removal of unhoused people who had built encampments in a downtown park. The arrests took place on two separate days — at the park on Nov. 24 and around the Hamilton Central Police Station on Nov. 26.

Numerous Black community organizations called for a judicial inquiry into HPS officer conduct on those days, while also calling for the charges to be dropped. The Canadian Union of Public Employees — Ontario also signal-boosted the call.

The Hamilton Police Services Board refused to support the call for a judicial inquiry.

The charges against all six housing advocates were dropped on March 15.

Members of anti-sprawl climate justice groups were also demonstrating at the event. The elected leadership in Hamilton and Halton Region have both voted to freeze the municipalities’ urban boundaries to preserve farmland that is essential to food security.

The Ontario PC Party, back in March, warned that it could refer Hamilton’s official plan for housing to the Ontario Land Tribunal in an attempt to override it. Seklly referred to Hamilton’s plans as “anti-housing.” The land in Hamilton that has been protected from development is within the Flamborough—Glanbrook riding.

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