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Five people were arrested and four charged with numerous offences including assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon, robbery and uttering death threats, said Ottawa police Const. Marc Soucy. The altercation took place at about 11:30 a.m.

Police also locked down the lobby of police headquarters on Elgin Street on Saturday evening when supporters of the men arrested demonstrated outside.

“They came here to protest the arrests we made, but nothing happened,” Soucy said.

The victim of the alleged assault was Kevin J. Johnston, who posted his account of what happened on his website freedomreport.ca.

On his website, Johnston posts video rants calling for things like a ban on the Quran and confiscating money from mosques in Canada, but he rejects the “far right” label. Instead, he calls himself a “Canadian conservative and a Canadian patriot.”

He said Monday that he was on his way to the Hill for the rally, where he was to both speak and cover the event for his website, when he saw two young counter-protesters harassing two women at the corner of Elgin Street and Laurier Avenue.

Johnston said he ran over with his video camera and microphone to confront them and was soon attacked by a group of more than 40 people.

“I took some flagpoles in the face and a baton on the wrist,” he said in an interview. “If I did not know how to defend myself and if I was not into the weight training I’m into, I’d probably be a dead man now.”

Johnston said he covered up on the ground while he was kicked repeatedly. He then went to the aid of his videographer, who was also on the ground. He managed to call 911 and later was able to point out several of his alleged assailants to police.