Protesters show their support for the “Liberty Convoy” of truckers en route to Ottawa to protest against the Canadian government’s COVID-19 vaccine authorizations on Thursday.
Arthur Mola / Invision / AP
hide captions
switch captions
Arthur Mola / Invision / AP
Protesters show their support for the “Liberty Convoy” of truckers en route to Ottawa to protest against the Canadian government’s COVID-19 vaccine authorizations on Thursday.
Arthur Mola / Invision / AP
Protesters have descended on Ottawa, Canada, saying they have no plans to leave despite pleas from public officials to continue after days of massive protests in the country’s capital.
The so-called “Liberty Convoy” was originally formed to protest the federal government’s regulation of vaccines for cross-border truck drivers but has since evolved into a broader protest. against COVID-19 public health measures, CBC reported.
Media reports and social media posts show thousands of people – including many truck drivers – clogging downtown streets and making noise throughout the weekend in a city of more than 1 million inhabitants.
“Quite frankly, [residents] feel they are prisoners in their own home. And so my hope is that at some point the police come to the conclusion that it’s time to have a serious discussion about moving these people,” Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson told CBC. You have the right to object, you’ve got your objection, go ahead. Our city must return to normal. “
The Ottawa Police Department on Sunday urged residents to avoid going downtown on Monday and said the department costs about $800,000 a day for protest staff.
“The police managed to avoid the ticket and trailer side[s] so as not to incite confrontation with the protesters. However, confrontations and the need to de-escalate are still frequently requested, “the set of said in a press release.
The mostly peaceful protests have produced a number of incidents that have provoked outrage among public officials and others, including a video showing a protester dancing on the Tomb of the Innocent Soldier name in Canada and another video reported that protesters harassed employees at a homeless shelter. The police said they were open some criminal investigation.
This story originally appeared on Morning version live blogs.
