Toronto lawyer arrested at Ford rally

Toronto lawyer and self-described political satirist Caryma Sa'd was handcuffed by Hamilton police officers outside of an Ontario PC Party campaign event ...

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. 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. Members of anti-sprawl climate justice groups were also demonstrating at the event. Several media outlets reported that the nurse suffered a brain injury (commonly called a concussion). The event was in the Flamborough—Glanbrook riding. 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. Donna Skelly is running for re-election for the PCs in the rapidly urbanizing riding. Hamilton Police said shortly before 9 p.m. that they “ charged a 33-year-old female with trespassing,” and gave her a ticket. “A protest subsequently formed outside the premises and eventually moved onto private property, blocking the road to the Cargojet facility,” HPS said. All individuals complied but one individual refused to move and was arrested. “It had my name on it,” Sa’d told a male security guard. 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.

Hamilton police arrested and ticketed a Toronto-based lawyer for trespassing near a Progressive Conservative campaign stop on Thursday, but Caryma Sa'd says ...

Sa'd acknowledged that while the facility is private property, the rally was a public event. He added that his group of protesters were asked to move even when they were on public property outside the facility. "It is wrong and inappropriate to arrest a journalist, even though they may be citizen journalists, at a political event," he said. Don Mclean, a member of the group, said he watched the arrest and corroborated Sa'd's account. She said someone from Ford's team asked her to leave and called the police when she refused. The person appears to be wearing an in-ear headset, but their affiliation is unclear. Sa'd said she's a bit "shaken up" by the event and isn't sure if she'll attend others in the future. Sa'd said she wasn't part of a protest but was there to document the event. She's known for creating cartoons and videos that criticize politicians and people protesting public health measures. "I'll wait for the police," Sa'd said in the video. A video posted on Twitter by Sa'd appears to show the conversation in front of the Cargojet facility before her arrest. Sa'd said she has been asked to leave Ford events in the past and this time RSVP'd to attend the event.