City of Kelowna seeks injunction against anti-vax protesters | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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City of Kelowna seeks injunction against anti-vax protesters

FILE PHOTO - David Lindsay, organizer of the anti-COVID-19 restriction rallies in Kelowna.

Anti-vaccine "Freedom Rally" protesters have used Stuart Park to host their protests since early on in the COVID-19 pandemic and the City of Kelowna is fed up.

The City wants to forcefully put a stop to the rallies and applied to the B.C. Supreme Court for an injunction against its organizers yesterday, Jan. 16.

Only David Lindsay, a known leader behind the anti-COVID-restrictions protests, is named on the City's petition. Other names are listed as "unknown persons" and John and Jane Doe.

After multiple warnings, bylaw tickets and complaints from the public, the protesters continue to show up at Stuart Park and the Highway 97 pedestrian bridge near Parkinson Rec Centre.

READ MORE: B.C. anti-vaxxer loses case against union, again

The City wants to ramp up enforcement and give Kelowna RCMP authority to arrest the protesters.

FILE PHOTO
FILE PHOTO

To do this, the City is citing its own park use and "good neighbour" bylaws, claiming the protesters are unlawfully hosting events on City property, selling merchandise and disturbing the peace with loud speakers and amplifiers, all without permits.

READ MORE: Dozens of Kelowna tenants being evicted for being 'beacons for social disorder'

Lindsay is behind a "Freemen on the Land" movement, which is a loosely associated group of people believing themselves free from what they see as an overbearing government.

The City claimed in September 2021 it was ramping up enforcement by issuing fines at the ongoing Stuart Park protests, but RCMP was generally only there to take action if there was an "imminent threat" or violence.

The vast majority of public health orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic have been lifted.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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