The police operation aimed at dislodging the demonstrators near the parliament in Ottawa continues Saturday morning, after a hundred arrests and the towing of twenty vehicles the day before. Parliamentarians will be able to return to the House of Commons during the day.
Posted at 8:00 a.m.
Saturday at daybreak, it was dead calm in the city center of the capital. A few heavy goods vehicles remain parked on Wellington Street.
Between Sussex and Rideau streets, the roadway is free of trucks, towed the day before.
A dozen demonstrators were already there in front of the Château Laurier, separated from the few police officers present by a fence.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Protesters cleared their side of the fence on Saturday morning.
A total of 21 vehicles were towed the day before. According to the latest report from the Ottawa police, more than 100 people have been arrested. They were accused, among other things, of misdeeds.
Pat King, one of the headliners of the convoy, was also arrested early Friday afternoon.
Safety first
The authorities progressed very slowly, gaining a few meters on the demonstrators. Safety “is a priority,” Steve Bell, acting Ottawa police chief, said Friday.
The operation which mobilizes seven police forces including the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) could last several days.
“Please note that no one was seriously injured or died in connection with today’s police action,” Ottawa police said after some clashes between protesters and mounted police. During this face-to-face, an elderly lady had been jostled by the equestrian team.
Despite the hundred arrests and twenty vehicles dislodged, the demonstrators were still numerous late Friday evening.
The police reminded the demonstrators that they exposed themselves to “serious penalties” if they did not comply. The Emergencies Act provides for fines of up to $5,000 and a maximum jail term of five years, depending on the seriousness of the offence.
The debate on the Emergency Measures Act will also be held during the day, after having been canceled due to the police operation which was taking place at the gates of parliament.