Toronto sees another weekend of arrests at multiple anti-lockdown protests

Anti-lockdown protesters took to the streets of Toronto this weekend for yet another time since the province issued an official stay-at-home order, which came after weeks of urging residents to stay at home for all but essential errands.

anti-lockdown protests in Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Israel and Toronto.....

and so it begins.

— Daryl (@djm140591) January 24, 2021

As was the case after the demonstrations held just two days after the order went into effect, multiple arrests were made and charges laid in Nathan Phillips Square and Yonge-Dundas Square on Jan. 23.

Crowds also congregated in Queen's Park this time around to oppose rigid lockdown measures that include mandatory face coverings in indoor public places and forced business closures that have drawn on in Toronto for nine weeks now in an attempt to mitigate further spread of COVID-19 as residents await the rollout of the vaccine.

Protesters Gather And March In Protest Against The Lockdown #Toronto #Canada

Source: Krissy VanAlstyne (Facebook) pic.twitter.com/SfZvTfgosI

— J̵̟̦̲̞̭̱̀̈́͑̄̇̈́̚͝ustice (@The_Justice7) January 23, 2021

Additionally, demonstrators were seen entering businesses such as Whole Foods and Shoppers Drug Mart in droves without masks as they made their way around the city waving Canadian flags and holding signs with slogans such as "wake up and smell the communism" and "Ford, Tory, TPS, have you even read the Charter?"

Anti-mask anti-lockdown protestors in #toronto try to enter shoppers.

Ummm.

I hate it here. pic.twitter.com/pKesjiQU9j

— _.just.evan (he/him) (@evan_just_evan) January 24, 2021

In total, Toronto police arrested 10 people and charged seven of them on Saturday — among them, vocal anti-mask proponent Chris Sky — for defying orders under the Reopening Ontario and Emergency Management and Civil Protection Acts, which currently limit outdoor gatherings to five people.

Sky's charges include multiple counts of public mischief and common nuisance, but steep fines and arrests haven't stopped him from leading such events and flying in the face of pandemic measures in the past.

Along with noncompliance with emergency orders, other charges laid at this most recent protest include assaulting police, obstructing a peace officer, and charges under the Highway Traffic Act.

Toronto. Jan 23. Anti-maskers and anti lockdown covidiots march to resist taking "health advice from an 800lb gorilla". Also, we stay home but they don't. pic.twitter.com/DUdj46Rqcq

— Cindy (Cj) Smith - Ride All The Things!🚴🚗🚍🚃 (@ThisCrazyTrain) January 24, 2021

As lockdowns remain in effect or tighten around the globe amid the pandemic's "second wave," similar demonstrations have continued to take place.

One saw tens of thousands of restaurants in Italy open their doors for service despite restrictions earlier this month, while thousands took to the streets in cities such as Amsterdam and Vienna this weekend.

In Ontario, daily new case counts have finally been driven under the 3,000 mark for seven consecutive days now after the entire province was moved into a strict iteration of lockdown on Boxing Day.