Bradford Speak Up plans ‘peaceful’ protest for more freedom amid pandemic mandates in Newmarket: YRP

'They were there last weekend as well,' Staff Sgt. Andrew Graham says

Yorkregion.com
Feb. 14, 2022
Dina Al-Shibeeb

A “peaceful” protest is planned by a group called Bradford Speak Up in the intersection of Yonge Street & Davis Drive in Newmarket at 1 p.m. to widen freedoms amid the pandemic mandates; York Regional Police said Sunday, Feb. 13.

YRP’s Staff Sgt. Andrew Graham said there would be no police deployment at the scene.

“They were there last weekend as well,” he said. “They're 100 per cent peaceful; they stood on the corner last weekend and waved Canadian flags.”

On their Facebook page, the group called people to join the march for freedom, end “this medical tyranny,” and stand with the truckers.

The Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, vital for US-Canada trade, remained closed Saturday night as protesters in Ottawa outnumbered the police.

The Bradford group calls for an end of mandatory masking and discrimination against those who choose not to be vaccinated.

Ontario recently declared a state of emergency after two weeks of protests against COVID-19 restrictions. Premier Doug Ford said on Friday that plans are in the works to remove the vaccine passport system that allows only vaccinated people to enter restaurants and several other settings.

On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with US President Joe Biden about the border blockades.