Politics
A man has been charged with trespassing by Ottawa Police after attempting to force his way into the House of Commons on the 10th anniversary of the Parliament Hill shooting.
The man in his 60s made the attempt to breach security on the 10th anniversary of the Parliament Hill shooting
Peter Zimonjic · CBC News
· Posted: Oct 23, 2024 10:49 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago
Members of the public are no longer allowed to use the O’Connor staircase to West Block when the House of Commons is sitting. A man was charged with trespassing after climbing the stairs and attempting to force his way into the House of Commons. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)A man has been charged with trespassing by Ottawa Police after attempting to force his way into the House of Commons on the 10th anniversary of the Parliament Hill shooting.
According to a police statement, a man in his 60s was detained by the Parliamentary Protection Service (PPS) at around 11 a.m. ET Tuesday morning and was later charged under the Trespass to Property Act for failing to leave.
In a video posted on Facebook, a man identifying himself as Brian Kidder is shown filming himself approaching the south doors of the West Block and ignoring PPS demands to present proper identification.
Uniformed PPS members follow the man as he approaches the doors and tries to push past two PPS members, who physically block him from entering.
The man says he does not have a pass, but claims he has a “special invite” to be there.
A statement from the PPS says the man “attempted to enter an entry point reserved to access cardholders. A trespass notice was issued to the individual in question.”
The PPS is not a police force and does not have the power to arrest or charge people, but it can detain people on Parliament Hill deemed a security risk before handing them over to the Ottawa Police Service.
The PPS is responsible for security throughout the Parliamentary Precinct.
A video posted online shows the man with his arms restrained behind his back as a PPS member fills out a citation.
“The situation appears to have been an isolated incident and there is no threat to the Parliamentary Precinct,” the PPS statement said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter Zimonjic is a senior writer for CBC News. He has worked as a reporter and columnist in London, England, for the Telegraph, Times and Daily Mail, and in Canada for the Ottawa Citizen, Torstar and Sun Media. He is the author of Into The Darkness: An Account of 7/7, published by Random House.
With files from Joe Tunney
