Topline
Ottawa police, some bearing guns, moved to break up demonstrations Saturday that have snarled Canada’s capital for weeks using pepper spray as they made scores of arrests and towed away protesters’ trucks, sometimes after smashing their windows.
Canadian police face off with demonstrators participating in a protest organized by truck drivers … [+]
Key Facts
Ottawa police said they had made 47 arrests as of almost 1 p.m. Saturday and towed away 38 vehicles that protesters of the government’s anti-Covid measures had used to block downtown streets for weeks, after making more than 100 arrests Friday.
Police used pepper spray on the crowd, CTV reported, while CBC showed protesters pouring water and rubbing snow on their eyes to clear their vision.
Police said they had been “slow and methodical” in their response to demonstrators but had turned to using helmets and batons, among other devices, for their safety, accusing protesters of being “assaultive and aggressive.”
Ottawa police tweeted Saturday morning they had arrested a protester, who allegedly launched a gas canister and said they had arrested others who were in body armor and had “smoke grenades on them and miscellaneous fireworks in their bags.”
Among those arrested were three leaders of the protests: Pat King, Chris Barber and Tamara Lich.
Surprising Fact
Police said protesters were using their children as shields, warning that anyone who brings minors under 18 years old to the protest site could face fines up to 5,000 Canadian dollars ($3,925) and up to five years behind bars.
Key Background
In late January, the “Freedom Convoy” moved into downtown Ottawa to protest Covid-19 vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers. They blared horns, clogged up streets and forced some local businesses to temporarily close, drawing the disapproval of the majority of Canadians, according to polls. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said in a virtual press conference Saturday “at least 76” accounts with more than 3 million Canadian dollars raised to support the protests have been frozen since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked emergency powers Monday. The demonstration against Covid-19 rules in downtown Ottawa inspired blockades at three vital border crossings between U.S. and Canada that police broke up over the past week.
Further Reading
Truckers Arrested at Gunpoint as Police Advance Against Ottawa Protest (New York Times)
‘Freedom Convoy’: Ottawa Police Arrest 15 Protesters And Tow Away Vehicles As Standoff Continues (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisakim/2022/02/19/with-pepper-spray-and-guns-canadian-police-break-up-trucker-protest-that-has-paralyzed-capital/