A “freedom convoy” of trucks joined by thousands of protesters to protest Canada’s vaccine mandate brought Ottawa to a virtual standoff on Sunday for a second day, as other sympathetic truck drivers blocked a border highway in the United States Was.
Chaos erupted in the capital city near parliament over the weekend and drew criticism from officials, including the mayor of Ottawa.
“This afternoon, a large police presence continues throughout the city and protesters and trucks continue to move,” Ottawa police said in a statement.
“These high-risk situations were addressed and resolved without any arrests,” officials said, adding that “police resources are fully dispersed” to deal with the obstacle, which involved hundreds of trucks.
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Violent protests threatened to disrupt business on Monday, with officials saying City Hall would remain closed, traffic disrupted and some other services suspended.
Protests began last week in western Canada, where dozens of truck drivers organized a convoy to drive from Vancouver to the Canadian capital to demonstrate against COVID-related restrictions, especially at the long US-Canada border crossing. Recent vaccination requirements for truck drivers with
Several convoys began arriving in Ottawa on Friday, and were joined by thousands of other anti-vaccination protesters.
In solidarity with the convergence on Ottawa, truckers on Sunday described what they described as a “complete blockade” of Highway 4 in Canada’s western Alberta province along the US border. Roads are a major route for commercial goods between nations.
“At the moment … the port of entry is technically open, although no one will be able to reach them except on foot,” Curtis Peters, a spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Alberta, told AFP. Around 100 trucks were jamming the road.
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In Ottawa, the desecration of a war memorial and the harassment of some city officials and volunteers from NGOs prompted an angry response, and police said they had launched “multiple investigations”.
“I am saddened to see protesters dancing and desecrating the National War Memorial at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” Wayne Eyre, the country’s chief of defense staff, said on Twitter.
“Those involved should bow their heads in shame.”
‘show some respect’
Barricades were put up on Sunday to block vehicular access in the vicinity of the war memorial, after several illegally parked vehicles were removed.
And an organization advocating for the homeless, the Shepherds of Good Hope, said its workers were “harassed” by protesters demanding food on a particularly cold weekend.
It said it had briefly offered free food to some protesters in an effort to de-escalate tensions, but added, “the events of this weekend have put significant pressure on our operations in an already difficult time.”
Canadian media reported that with protesters gathering, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family were taken to an undisclosed location in Ottawa on Saturday.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson expressed outrage over “threatening” behavior by some protesters, particularly against the media.
“Stop the bullying tactics and show some respect to fellow Canadians,” he said on Twitter.
Later, in an interview with CBC, Watson said it was time for protesters to “move on” so that Ottawa could return to normalcy.
“Clearly, (the residents) feel like they are prisoners in their own home,” he said.
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