WATCH: Cops Tackle a Man on the Ice Over the COVID Crime of Outdoor Hockey

Are you a criminal? Do you spit in the face of the law? Are you a retrobate?

You know — do you play outdoor hockey too close?

As it turns out, amid our lamentable life in lockdown, it’s all the same.

Take, for example, a recent incident in Canada.

Of course, the Mother of the Maple Leaf Flag isn’t the U.S., but let’s face it: Culturally, we’re all headed the same way.

And on December 17th, a group of young people gathered at an outdoor rink in Calgary, Alberta.

Allegedly, there were far too many players, so those on ice were in hot water.

CTV reports:

Officers were called to the area after responding to a request for assistance from Calgary Bylaw Services about a hockey game that consisted of far more people than what was allowed under Alberta’s Public Health Act. Reports indicate there were approximately 40 people playing hockey together.

Once the po-po showed, things got ugly.

A later statement by the Calgary Police provided some detail on the arrest of a 21-year-old man:

Our officers…asked users multiple times to voluntarily disperse and explained the health orders that require it. The arrested man was also asked multiple times to comply with the restrictions and was given multiple opportunities to only receive a ticket after refusing, but would not provide his name or identification. When told he was under arrest for obstruction, he had multiple chances to comply with the officers before the video recordings started.

The viral clips show officers using vulgarity and getting physical.

See what you think — is this proper policing?

[Language Warning]

Part 2 pic.twitter.com/yIwLubv4DM

— AlbertaPlumber (@lolpipewrench) December 19, 2020

Twelve-year-old skateboarder Rayan Sanoubar — the kid who captured the conflict on video — described the scene to Global News:

“They had him on the ground for six minutes, just frozen, cutting his skates off with a knife. They arrested him and threatened us saying, ‘We are going to give you tickets if you don’t walk away.'”

Not everyone online’s been impressed:

As a mother of a hockey player, my blood is boiling.
This is beyond contemptible.#NotMyCanada

— A Woman Of A Certain Age (@CertainSusan) December 19, 2020

NAZIS

— Francis Begbie (@_francisbegbie1) December 19, 2020

Wow…Just wow.

— Scott (@GreatNthRoad) December 19, 2020

I think it took a whole lot of courage for him to stand up for what he loved : aka hockey , these are good kids. Maybe it just took an outdoor hockey rink to unify Canadians. With all that kids are going through , it seems doing what they love would be best for their mental state

— AlbertaPlumber (@lolpipewrench) December 19, 2020

When people are arrested for playing outdoor ice hockey in Canada, you know that the country is over. This has nothing to do with an epidemic, and everything to do with a war on Canada’s culture & customs. The epidemic is nothing but an excuse to carry out state rogue behavior.

— Dr. LibertyRushmore (@RushmoreLiberty) December 19, 2020

This guy stayed so calm and restrained, he is way more suited to be a police officer than these 2.

— Calgary Guy (@cgy_guy) December 19, 2020

pic.twitter.com/cc5aQFhLbv

— Hmmm (@Hmmm11238) December 19, 2020

@naheednenshi … you need to remind @CalgaryPolice that outdoor hockey, per your own words, is allowed.
This young man is owed an apology, at the very least.
Those over zealous, foul mouthed cops need to be disciplined, at the very least.

— Andrea Staines (@staines_andyjoy) December 19, 2020

That hockey’s allowed is a sizable point to be made.

At a news conference Friday, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi pointed out that rinks are open:

“If there are other people on the rink, you don’t have to go home. You can still stay out there. You shouldn’t really start lots of big games of pick-up hockey with people around you.”

So what’s the rule?

Naheed laid it out…how’s this for law and order:

“There’s no hard and fast rule on how many people can be on the rink, but it’s one of those things like the [U.S. Supreme Court] said about pornography — you know it when you see it.”

In the past week, Calgary cops have issued 11 tickets for public health order violations.

The young man tackled on the ice was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing an officer, and violating the public health act.

See the police department’s full statement below:

We have received many questions and concerns about an arrest that occurred earlier this week. Please see the below statement for additional information on the incident.#yyc #covid19 pic.twitter.com/ucciovxuxX

— Calgary Police (@CalgaryPolice) December 19, 2020

To be sure, thanks to 2020’s colossal tightening of governmental grip, “crime” has certainly been redefined.

Accordingly, so has justice.

-ALEX