09:10 19/02/2022
OTTAWA, Ontario - Police began making arrests and towing vehicles Friday in an effort to lift a three-week blockade of the Canadian capital by hundreds of truck drivers angry at Canada's Covid-19 restrictions. Hundreds of police officers, some in special forces gear and with automatic weapons, entered the protest area and led handcuffed demonstrators through Ontario's snow-covered roads as truck horns continued to blare in defiance.
There were sporadic clashes and police pushed back the crowd chanting "Freedom!" and sang the national anthem. To hide their identity, the drivers of the carts wore green ski masks and covered the inscription on their vehicles where the name of the respective company is normally found. They arrived with a police escort and began to remove the tractors, trucks and vehicles that were parked next to each other near the parliament building.
Some protesters surrendered and some trucks pulled themselves away as the Freedom Caravan began to disperse. The premier of the province of Ontario, Doug Ford, wrote at noon that "there are indications that we are starting to see progress."
But many protesters continued to disobey and did not move. "Freedom has never been free," said trucker Kevin Homaund, of Montreal. "And then what if they handcuff us and take us to prison?".
The capital with its paralyzed streets was the last strong point of this movement, after three weeks of demonstrations and a blockade that also interrupted the border crossing with the United States, creating economic damage for both countries and creating a political crisis for the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They also undermined Canada's reputation for civility, and some of the move's opponents blamed the influence of the United States.
In recent weeks, authorities have been reluctant to respond to protesters, in part because they have refrained from violence. The demonstrations have drawn right-wing extremists and veterans, some of them armed.
As police and the government faced accusations that they allowed the protesters to gain strength and multiply, Mr. Trudeau activated the Canadian Emergency Act on Monday, giving law enforcement extraordinary authority to declare blockades illegal, to impound the trucks, arrest the drivers, suspend their driving licenses and freeze their bank accounts.
Ottawa police took their first step toward ending the standoff late Thursday by arresting two key protest leaders. Authorities also sealed off much of the downtown area, barring people from outside the downtown area from coming to the aid of the protesters.
The emergency law also allowed law enforcement authorities to compel trucking companies to help. Ottawa police said earlier that they could not find drivers willing to help because they either supported the movement or feared retaliation.
As police worked to remove the blockade, Pat King, one of the protest leaders who has made comments about white supremacy in the past, told the truckers: "Please stay calm," while threatening the trucking companies.
"You are committing career suicide," Mr. King warned on Facebook. "We know where the trucks came from."
Mr. King himself was later arrested by officers who surrounded his car.
Ottawa police had made it clear for days that they were preparing to end the protest and could remove the more than 300 trucks present at any moment. On Friday, even as the operation was underway, police issued another round of warnings via social media and loudspeakers, giving protesters one more chance to leave and avoid arrest.
Some responded by grappling arm-in-arm as officers formed a line to repel them.
“This is not Canada. We don't need a separate country!" shouted a woman.
Dan Holland, a protester from London, Ontario, prepared to drive his car, which was parked among the trucks, as police approached. "I don't want to be beaten by this police," he said.
Children in coats and hats stood in the middle of the crowd. Police said the protesters had placed the youths in the middle of the clash and would move them to a safer place.
The two protest leaders arrested the day before were expected to appear in court on Friday. Among the charges was "disobedience and obstructing the police".
The blockade angered many Ottawa residents, who complained they were being harassed and intimidated on the streets. They obtained a court order to stop the incessant honking of the truckers' horns.
Demonstrations across the country by protesters in trucks, tractors and trailers initially focused on Canada's mandate to vaccinate truckers entering the country, but quickly turned into a broad attack on COVID-19 prevention measures and the government of Mr. Trudeau.
Prime Minister Trudeau portrayed the protesters as members of a "fringe" element, and Canadians themselves have generally accepted the restrictions imposed on COVID-19. The vast majority of the population has been vaccinated, including nearly 90% of the country's truck drivers. Some of the vaccination and mask-wearing ordinances put in place by the provinces are already being rapidly repealed.
The largest border blockade, at the Ambassador Bridge connecting Ontario's Windsor with the US city of Detroit, disrupted trade in auto parts between the two countries and forced the auto industry to limit production. Authorities lifted the blockade last weekend after arresting dozens of protesters.
The latest border standoff, in Manitoba, across from North Dakota, ended peacefully on Wednesday.
The protests have been welcomed and received donations from conservatives in the United States./VOA
Source of information @TvKlan: Read more at: www.botasot.al
