The Ottawa police on Friday has vowed to crack down on an “increasingly d#ngerous” protest by hundreds of truckers who have shut down the center of the Canadian capital for eight days to demand an end to COVID-19 vaccine mandate
The well-organized blockade, which police say has relied partly on funding from sympathizers in the United States, is unprecedented by Canadian standards. With 400 more trucks and 2,000 protesters expected to arrive in the city this weekend, Ottawa police on Friday announced that 150 additional officers will be deployed and concrete barricades set up to prevent more vehicles from reaching the city’s downtown core. Illegally parked vehicles will be towed and highways and bridges could be closed.
“The surge [of officers] will deliver a clear message to the demonstrators: the lawlessness must end,” said Peter Sloly, the Ottawa police chief. Police have asked counter-protesters not to come to the city, amid fears of v!olence.
Hundreds of trucks have remained outside parliament for nearly a week in protest against public health measures. Sloly said he and other officials had received de#th thre#ts and likened the protest to the US Capitol att#ck when thousands of supporters of former president Donald Trump attempted to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory.
