Ottawa police begin to arrest protesters to end the three-week anti-vaccine campaign. They have made over 100 arrests. The operation began on Friday when the Emergencies Act was invoked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The police clashed with the demonstrators with some resisting the arrest. At some point, the police said some used their children as shields. A small group remains in the capital as the rest were being cleared. The massive truck convoy was cleared from Ambassador’s Bridge. Protester’s bank accounts were frozen to limit the financing of the protest. Some trucks were also confiscated.
There were earlier reports of an effort to flood the 911 lines and other non-emergency phone lines. This happened last week as well. The police described a number of US-based numbers flooding the phone lines. It almost caused it to crash.
The protests began when truckers wanted the government to recall the vaccination mandate. Truckers who regularly cross the US-Canada border were given two options when returning from a trip. The first choice was to take a mandatory 14-day isolation period every time they return. The second option is to be fully vaccinated. Many of the truckers did not agree with either of the choices and began blocking major roads with their trucks. Later on, other people who wants to challenge other COVID measures joined the protest. Some didn’t want the mandatory wearing of masks, others did not agree with social distancing, and so on.
The convoy has caused heavy traffic for weeks along the border. Many supply chain logistics were challenged. There were also citizens who began to complain regarding the loud noise in the capital. Especially for those who are in the capital. The protests began to be inconvenient for many.
On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergency Act. This allows the government to temporarily ban public gatherings and freeze bank accounts. Since then, the police began clearing the convoy. Yesterday, they arrested two leaders of the protest after freezing their bank accounts.
The police vowed not to rest until the remaining protesters have been cleared. On the other hand, protesters vowed to keep fighting for freedom.