‘Freedom Convoy’ protesters opposed to vaccination mandates prepare to spend another night on the streets of Ottawa late Sunday, much to the dismay of police, who are asking them to leave the capital federal.
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Many truckers met by TVA Nouvelles teams during the day were unanimous: they are here for good in Ottawa, even if it means having to handcuff themselves.
“I don’t mind if they put me in jail. I’m going to stay here until it’s over,” said a protester driving a recreational vehicle.
“Why not. We would be political prisoners,” added another protester waving a Canadian flag when he was asked if he was ready to go to prison for his ideas.
Out of patience
In the meantime, the demonstrators carried out a day similar to that of Saturday by making themselves heard peacefully, with a lot of music and horns.
Photo QMI Agency, Maxime Deland
Citizens of downtown Ottawa, exasperated at not being able to sleep a night, criticized the protests, but they were above all trying to put up with them, in the hope that it would all be over Monday.
In order to contain the crowd, the Ottawa police have installed barricades, in particular around monuments, and they control access to the city center, in particular using snowplows blocking certain arteries.
Photo QMI Agency, Maxime Deland
“Police and City staff are acutely aware of public complaints about parking, running engines, noise and other inappropriate behavior. At present, due to security issues, the management of the demonstration and traffic must take precedence, ”explained the Ottawa police in the afternoon.
The police force assured that it was seeking to collaborate with the organizers of the convoy, so that the truckers begin to evacuate the city center in the evening, with a view to a return to normal in the capital on Monday.
The officers, however, avoid distributing statements of offense or towing truckers who are still on site, so as not to create confrontations.
Demonstrators were back on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sunday morning, continuing a demonstration that tens of thousands of people took part in on Saturday.
Photo QMI Agency, Maxime Deland
During the night from Saturday to Sunday, the police had used a strategy of de-escalation to disperse the hundreds of protesters partying on the hill.
No arrests have been made by the Ottawa Police Service to date.