Ottawa declares state of emergency as trucker Covid protest paralyzes capital’s core
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Ottawa declares state of emergency as trucker Covid protest paralyzes capital’s core
Dubbed the “Freedom Convoy,” the demonstration has seen hundreds of truckers block city streets, blaring their horns and disrupting traffic. But the protest has also drawn backlash over alleged harassment as well as the presence of Confederate flags and flags bearing swastikas.
While the protest began in opposition to vaccination mandates for truckers crossing the U.S.-Canada border, it quickly evolved into a rallying point for opposition to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government and the coronavirus measures it has imposed. And it has drawn support from Republican politicians in the United States, too.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said in a statement on Sunday that the demonstration posed a "serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents."
Watson said the city needed "support from other jurisdictions and levels of government" to help respond to the major disruption.
Image: Truckers and supporters continue to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Ottawa (Lars Hagberg / Reuters)
He did not provide details on what measures it might impose itself under its emergency declaration.
Ottawa residents have shared accounts on social media of being afraid to leave their homes and facing sleepless nights as truckers blare their horns through the night.
In a statement on Sunday, the Ottawa Police Service said at least 60 criminal investigations have been opened so far in connection with the demonstration, including for alleged hate crimes, mischief, thefts and property damage.
On Sunday alone, the police service said it had made at least seven arrests, with at least 100 tickets issued.
Several individuals were arrested for mischief, while multiple vehicles and fuel were seized, the police service said.
It said more than 100 Highway Traffic Act and other Provincial Offence Notices had also been issued including for excessive honking, driving the wrong way, having alcohol readily available and having the improper class of driving license.
The police service warned that it would be cracking down on anyone attempting to bring in canisters to help refuel the hundreds of trucks blocking roads in Ottawa's city center. Those caught doing so could be subject to arrest and charges, it warned.
Image: Truckers Protest Vaccine Mandates In Cities Across Canada (Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)
Organizers of the "Freedom Convoy" have said they will not leave Ottawa's core until vaccine mandates in Canada have ended.
Meanwhile, Canadian officials have said they too will not back down.
On Sunday, Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said Canada had already "put the question of vaccines and vaccine mandates on the ballot" in the country's 2021 election.
"We’re simply carrying out the promise that we made with the support of the vast majority of Canadians,” he said, in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation .
Mendicino said the federal government was also fulfilling a request from Ottawa's mayor for "more boots on the ground," with members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police assisting local and provincial authorities in responding to the demonstration.
"I'm very concerned about the various reports that we've heard from Ottawa residents," he added. "We've heard about threatening and intimidation and the spread of hate. We've seen Confederate flags and swastikas flying on (Parliament Hill.) That's absolutely unacceptable."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also condemned the scenes unfolding in Ottawa's core, branding demonstrators a "small fringe minority" of society.
Trudeau and other Canadian officials have repeatedly stressed that around 90 percent of truckers in the country have been vaccinated , in line with the nearly 90 percent of Canadians who have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine.
In a recent nationwide poll conducted by Abacus Data , a polling and market research firm based in Ottawa, 68 percent of respondents said they felt they had “very little in common with how the protestors in Ottawa see thing."
While many Canadians have condemned the demonstration, it has gained some support within and outside of Canada's borders, with former President Donald Trump sharing praise for protesters at a rally last month.
Trump weighed in on the protest again on Friday , this time taking aim at Trudeau. He branded the Canadian prime minister a “far left lunatic" and said he supported efforts to bring the 'Freedom Convoy' to Washington, D.C.
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These whackjobs are a menace.
those truck tires are about $1k per...
tire spikes are readily available online....
Dubbed the “Freedom Convoy,” the demonstration has seen hundreds of truckers block city streets, blaring their horns and disrupting traffic. But the protest has also drawn backlash over alleged harassment as well as the presence of Confederate flags and flags bearing swastikas.
While the protest began in opposition to vaccination mandates for truckers crossing the U.S.-Canada border, it quickly evolved into a rallying point for opposition to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government and the coronavirus measures it has imposed. And it has drawn support from Republican politicians in the United States, too.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said in a statement on Sunday that the demonstration posed a "serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents."
That's what happens in a free country when the government turns stupid. All Trudeau has to do is come out of his basement and rescind the bullshit.
That's what happens in a free country when the citizens turn stupid and follow the advice of braindead morons.
I bet the normal canadians really like looking at nazi flags being displayed...
Last I looked, Trudeau is not the mayor of Ottawa.
And busting those truck drivers and those helping them is what happens in a free country where the vast majority of citizens agree with the government's mandates and its position on the truckers, whose OWN ALLIANCE has criticized them and said what they were doing was "disgusting". I'd say 90% is a pretty strong majority. Personally, being concerned about the health and safety of my daughter living in Toronto, I wish that every one of those ignorant trucker fools and their helpers would be arrested and their vehicles impounded.
His mom wont let him out of the basement. She has the door locked.
Ottawa residents have shared accounts on social media of being afraid to leave their homes and facing sleepless nights as truckers blare their horns through the night.
In a statement on Sunday, the Ottawa Police Service said at least 60 criminal investigations have been opened so far in connection with the demonstration, including for alleged hate crimes, mischief, thefts and property damage.
On Sunday alone, the police service said it had made at least seven arrests, with at least 100 tickets issued.
Several individuals were arrested for mischief, while multiple vehicles and fuel were seized, the police service said.
It said more than 100 Highway Traffic Act and other Provincial Offence Notices had also been issued including for excessive honking, driving the wrong way, having alcohol readily available and having the improper class of driving license.
The police service warned that it would be cracking down on anyone attempting to bring in canisters to help refuel the hundreds of trucks blocking roads in Ottawa's city center. Those caught doing so could be subject to arrest and charges, it warned.
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Start bringing in tow trucks and let the drivers get stuck with the fees.
Wait. So, it’s wrong for government to “shut down the economy” but this is ok?