Ottawa police prevented a freelance journalist from reporting on a protest outside a military trade show, and threatened to call the event’s organizers to have the journalist’s accreditation to cover the event revoked.
Lital Khaikin covered the CANSEC trade show, which is organized by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries, for Canadian Dimension and Responsible Statecraft.
In an email to the Canada Press Freedom Project, Khaikin explained that after arriving at the venue, she went inside and met organizers to pick up her event accreditation, which included a large badge clearly marked “Media.” After picking up her accreditation, she went outside to photograph the protest.
She was taking photos when an Ottawa police sergeant approached her, in what Khaikin described as an “intimidating way.” A video she shared with CPFP shows the officer standing very close to her.
The officer told Khaikin that she had to leave and said that if she didn’t, he would call event organizers and have her pass revoked, she told CPFP. She repeatedly identified herself as a journalist and showed the officer her media badge, which the video shows she was wearing around her neck.
Throughout the video, Khaikin can be heard calmly asserting her right to report from the scene and identifying herself as a journalist covering the event.
In the video, the officer can be heard claiming that Khaikin’s presence with an event-issued media pass is “instigating the crowd.”
“You’re going to get them all wound up,” the officer said. He then said that if she didn’t leave, he would tell event organizers that she was with the protesters: “You make your choice. Understand what I’m going to do: I’ll let the show know that you’re out here with the protesters, and they can decide.”
Khaikin again identified herself as media, and said she wasn’t with the protesters. “You can decide what you want to do,” the officer said. He then radioed someone, gave them Khaikin’s name and spelled it.
In the background of the video, someone in the crowd can be heard yelling “– a reporter – the cop won’t let us talk –”
The officer and another officer then told Khaikin to move off of the street. She replied that she was going to go to the sidewalk, take some photos of the protest and then go back inside the event.
On the other side of the street, Khaikin said there was little or no space to stand between police and protesters. An officer told Khaikin that he didn’t want her to stand behind the police. “He was calm. I apologized and explained what I’m doing, and showed him an alternative spot where I wanted to stand. It was a quick exchange, with no further issue,” she told CPFP. Then, the sergeant who had initially confronted her “rushed over and pointed out to his colleague that he already had an issue with ‘this one,’” Khaikin said. She told police that she would take a few photos and then went back inside the venue.
Khaikin noted that, in addition to preventing her from covering the event, the officer’s threat to her accreditation would have a direct effect on her freelance work: “My income depended on access to the venue for the assignment, and I felt additional pressure in that regard,” she said.
Police arrested at least 12 people at the protest outside the event, reported the Fulcrum.