The City of Quebec is doing everything possible to block the way to convoys of truckers threatening to paralyze the downtown area of the Old Capital.
Convoys of trucks left the Côte-Nord and Saguenay on Friday in the direction of Parliament to imitate their colleagues stationed in downtown Ottawa for more than a week. However, they came up against law enforcement agencies determined to prevent this scenario from reoccurring on their territory.
Large numbers of police ensured the fluidity of traffic on René-Levesque Boulevard all day. A few symbolic trucks were still able to stop. The others have resigned themselves to going around in circles, honking their horns each time they pass in front of a small crowd. A few hundred demonstrators still braved the cold at the foot of Parliament to express their fed up with the health rules.
Demonstrators also tried to erect tents to supply their allies with food and hot drinks. It was a waste of time: the Quebec police officers successively stopped the installation of these camps at the foot of the Grand Théâtre and on the Plains of Abraham. “Everyone was very collaborative,” said a spokesperson for the Quebec City Police Service, David Pelletier, who did not identify any major incident at the start of the evening.
“It’s a game of cat and mouse,” dropped one of the frustrated protesters at not being able to install a stove in the ministerial district.
The Prime Minister, François Legault, had set the tone a few hours earlier. “What we agreed with [le maire de Québec] Bruno Marchand and the police, it is to act quickly, not to let them settle, he declared at a press conference in Montreal, mentioning to have “benefited from the experience, from what happened in Ottawa. »
Mr. Marchand had commented by affirming that he wanted to respect the right to demonstrate, but that in the event of slippages, it will be “zero tolerance”.
This show of force in Quebec did not attract the sympathy of any member of the National Assembly. Even the leader of the Conservative party, Éric Duhaime, and his deputy Claire Samson refused to participate in the demonstration.
The members of the convoy planned to meet again in front of Parliament on Saturday morning. More than 3000 people are expected.
Inseparable from Ottawa
450 kilometers away, in the federal capital, the authorities were still trying to dislodge the protesters now well settled in front of Parliament Hill.
The municipal police department has indicated that it will be present “24 hours a day, for the next four days”. The RCMP was also called in as reinforcements. The police explained that they will target any manifestation of hatred, harassment or excess to justify an arrest or the towing of the trucks. “Illegally parked vehicles will be towed and impounded if necessary,” warned Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly. Concrete barriers and heavy equipment were also deployed to prevent access to the city center.
The “siege” strategy of supporters of the “freedom convoy” suffered another setback on Friday evening. The crowdfunding platform GoFundMe has put an end to the fundraising intended to finance this movement of opposition to health measures.
“We now have evidence from law enforcement that previously peaceful protests have turned into an occupation, with incidents of violence and other illegal activities,” the company said in a statement. GoFundMe will refund or redirect to charities the vast majority of the over $10 million raised.
A new wave of protesters is expected to join the ranks of those who have occupied Ottawa for over a week. Intelligence services predict that between 300 to 400 trucks will try to join the rally this weekend as well as 1,000 to 2,000 people on foot.
With The Canadian Press