Websites and social media pages were filled with criticism of the way the downtown area of the Canadian capital Ottawa was cleared of protesters who stayed there for more than three consecutive weeks, exhausting the residents of the area and business owners who make a living from their businesses in that area.

I do not find it strange that such criticisms are issued, especially from those who live in dictatorial countries and do not enjoy what democracy guarantees by law, not chaos that wants to be above the law. Canada is known for being a pioneer in supporting human rights and a guardian of freedom of opinion and expression in word and deed, not merely a claim as seen by critics like these.

But what we witnessed of chaos did not tolerate these concepts, as we moved from the constitutionally guaranteed practices such as human rights and freedom of opinion and expression to far beyond that, which can only be described as chaos. This certainly required strict legal measures to maintain the entire situation and to adjust its course to be appropriate to its declared goals and not what the resulting actions evolved into.

Therefore, despite the intervention of the security apparatus to assert control over the Canadian capital, which represents a symbol of national sovereignty and indeed represents the prestige and dignity of the country, we noticed that the police officers exercised the utmost restraint and were very patient compared to what we saw in similar events in other countries. This also surprised many social media users.

This does not mean that we support repression policies, but we certainly understand the necessity of intervention in this manner, which some considered harsh and aggressive, despite the fact that it did not result in any injuries or loss of lives, especially since it was not limited to merely demonstrating, protesting, and expressing opinions, but rather it directly affected national security as it seems there was an attempt to undermine the authority of the security personnel.

There were inappropriate insults, and there were severe economic losses that resulted from that, which are absolutely incompatible with the challenges at this sensitive stage, which is still under the influence of the pandemic challenges and the severe strain on the state budget, which worked very hard to provide the means to face these great challenges.

Also, perhaps some of those who directed their criticisms at Canadian democracy overlooked the fact that there are security challenges and complex regional and international conditions that are of utmost priority and require strictness in securing the domestic arena so that efforts are not drained on side issues that could be resolved through constructive dialogue, discussion, and containment, and thus do not negatively affect the ability to confront such major challenges.

Today, we are faced with a scene that undoubtedly produces lessons and morals, which I hope will be positive, inclusive, and unifying for all components of society and its creative energies, rather than exploiting the results in an inappropriate way, which creates crises and deepens gaps.

Therefore, in my opinion, it is also wise not to pay attention to criticisms of our great country's democracy, which we know and are proud of, in order not to create fears based on an illusion that does not exist, and to ignore other side trivial and cheap matters, so that we know well what we need in terms of serious and deep gestures for crises that require focus and coordination of efforts to find radical and fundamental solutions not only in the near term but also in the long term.

Here, I can only emphasize that Canada is one of the few countries in the world, and perhaps the leader in working on involving society in policy-making and decisions concerning public affairs and perhaps the entire country's policy. Therefore, it has the right to preserve its democracy in the way it deems appropriate within the law, to safeguard its dignity and prestige.

Finally, Canada will remain great, a leader in democracy, a guardian of human rights, and undoubtedly guarantees freedom of opinion and expression but within principles and logic, not within narrow vision or accepting chaos and destruction!