City of Edmonton urges staff and councillors not to attend pro-Palestine rallies or discuss the conflict online
A Nov. 16 corporate security bulletin was drafted in response to a petition calling on the city to support a ceasefire and protestors confronting a Conservative MP.
City of Edmonton corporate security has sent an email to councillors and their staff suggesting they avoid attending rallies calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s attack on Gaza and posting about the conflict on social media, providing tips in case they’re publicly confronted.
The Nov. 16 corporate security bulletin, which The Orchard has obtained, is written in the context of a letter writing campaign calling on the city to endorse a ceasefire and the recent confrontation of Conservative MP Ziad Aboultaif by pro-Palestine activists.
The email takes great pains to present pro-Palestine protestors as a physical threat to city employees’ safety.
“Be aware of your surroundings, avoid any protest areas if not intended to attend the protest. It is recommended that you not attend protests related to the current Israel and Palestine conflict,” the email notes.
“Be aware of your opinions posted online as they could result in real life security concerns.”
It doesn’t explain how publicly expressing opinions on the situation in Gaza could result in a security threat.
Aboultaif was targeted on Nov. 12 as part of a type of direct action known as “bird dogging,” in which activists put public figures on the spot publicly and ask why they haven’t supported a particular policy while another activist films the interaction for sharing on social media.
An Instagram video from the local activist group Prairie Sage Protectors shows about a dozen protestors, some with red paint on their hands representing blood, surrounding Aboultaif’s vehicle and shouting at him to call for a ceasefire and, as 800 international legal scholars have done, call Israel’s attack a genocide.
The Edmonton Manning MP then drives away after a few protestors in front of his car move out of the way. The video shows a police presence and what appears to be a police drone. At no point does Aboultaif appear to be in any danger.
The security bulletin warns city councillors and staff that “it is reasonable to believe that it is possible that City of Edmonton officials may encounter a similar situation in the near future [emphases added].”
On Nov. 15, 250 protestors followed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to a cocktail bar in Vancouver’s Chinatown, where they chanted pro-Palestine slogans. Vancouver Police Department deployed 100 officers to the incident, resulting in one protestor being tased and arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer and another arrested for alleged obstruction.
According to the Action Network, which hosts a form letter calling on the City of Edmonton to back a ceasefire, 3,146 letters have been sent to Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi asking him to join the cities of Toronto, Burnaby and Saskatoon in calling for an end to the Israeli attack on Gaza.
The assault on what mainstream human rights organizations have described as an “open-air prison” has killed at least 11,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, when the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages in a day.
Citing the Provincial Intelligence Bureau, the email notes that “social media has become a tool of propaganda and disinformation related to the conflict.”
As a result, the bulletin recommends councillors and staff “if possible do not engage in heated discussions or arguments online related to the Israel and Palestine conflict.”
The email offers tips to employees if they “encounter any harassment tactics from a protest while in a vehicle:”
Stay calm.
Stay in the vehicle.
Do not engage with the discussion.
If possible and safe to do so, drive away from the area.
If unable to leave, contact Edmonton Police Service for assistance.
Notify Corporate Security by filling out the security incident report on OneCity and/or by email to your Corporate Security advisor after the incident.
And if they “encounter any harassment tactics from a protest while on foot:”
Stay calm.
Do not engage with the discussion.
If you are close to Edmonton City Hall or a secured CoE property in the downtown core, return to Edmonton City Hall or enter the secured CoE property.
Notify Corporate Security of the situation …
If the situation becomes physical or if you believe that you are in danger, contact Edmonton Police Service for an emergency response by dialing 911.
If you are not close to Edmonton City Hall, walk away if possible to do so.
If not able to leave the area, find a safe location.
Contact Edmonton Police Service for assistance.
Notify Corporate Security by filling out the security incident report on OneCity and/or by email to your Corporate Security advisor after the incident.
Alternatively, Edmonton city councillors could simply join calls for a ceasefire.
This message reads almost identical to ones sent out to staff during the convoys and anti vaxx protests. The fact is security will look at a lens of tactics only but their knowledge of tactics and likelihood of threat is devoid of any greater context. Except, there’s an un acknowledged context in the practice: Events within the perceived “mainstream” will be read as safer and those challenging authority will be read as more threatening.
Great article and thx for posting