Canada Truckers Protest Update: Ottawa police stops delivery of Fuel to break the ongoing protest
On Monday, police in Canada’s capital announced the seizure of thousands of gallons of fuel and the removal of an oil tanker as part of a crackdown to put an end to an 11-day-old demonstration against the federal government’s health measures and vaccine mandates.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly told reporters, “We’re cranking up the heat in every manner we possibly can.” “We’re requesting a large influx of resources within the next 72 hours.”
The “Freedom Convoy,” which was mostly made up of truckers, originated as a protest against a Canadian mandate that cross-border drivers get vaccinated. However, it has subsequently become a rallying point against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tough anti-pandemic policies.
Sloly noted that police counted 1,000 vehicles and 5,000 protestors this weekend, down from 3,000 trucks and 10,000 to 15,000 protesters the previous weekend.
Ottawa awakened to its second week of a siege, which its political and law enforcement leaders now refer to as a siege, with Sloly declaring that the occupation has outgrown his ability to cope with it. The demonstrations have been mostly peaceful.
On Monday, a short length of Metcalfe Street in downtown Ottawa, which is home to Canada’s parliament, central bank, and buildings including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office, smelt like a wildfire. Signs mocked anything from immunizations and mandates to Canada’s carbon tax on a cluster of vehicles, cars, and tractors without trailers.
A poster of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms was displayed on one of the signs, which provides rights such as life, liberty, and security of the person – within “reasonable bounds.”
Water bottles, briquettes, and diapers were stacked high alongside open-sided white tents with food tables.
There was also signs of opposition from locals. “GO HOME MORONS” and “VACCINES SAVE LIVES” were written on little signs in the ground-floor windows of an apartment building a few blocks distant.
On Monday afternoon, the Canadian government, which has refused to back down on the matter, will host a press conference to explain the blockade. Trudeau will not be present since he is quarantined after testing positive with COVID-19.
After truckers began arriving in Ottawa, Trudeau and his family left their downtown home, and his whereabouts have not been revealed because to security concerns.
SAUNAS ON THE GO
The generally tranquil existence of residents in downtown Ottawa has been broken by late-night honking and the odd display of fireworks.
An application for an order to stop the city’s noisy honking, which residents say has grown continuous and unbearable, will be heard in an Ottawa court.
If the court grants an injunction, plaintiffs’ lawyer Paul Champ told Reuters on Sunday that he expects the police to implement it “to some extent.”
After the city’s mayor proclaimed a state of emergency on Sunday, police began removing gas and fuel supplies from a logistics encampment put up by protestors on Sunday night.
The demonstrators have been supported by a well-organized supply network that includes portable saunas, a community kitchen, and children’s bouncy castles. According to investigators, it has received some funding from sympathisers in the United States.
Former US President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk (TSLA.O) have both complimented truckers.
Protests erupted in several major Canadian cities over the weekend, including Toronto, the financial centre, and were met with counter-demonstrations.
Nearly 79 percent of the eligible population has received a double dosage of the vaccination, indicating that Canadians have largely followed the government’s health guidelines. However, recent polls show that opposition to limitations is growing.
