Over 100 arrested as Canadian police clear Ottawa protesters
2022-02-19 18:17:15Source: China News Network
China News Agency, Toronto, February 19 (Reporter Yu Ruidong) The Canadian police launched a clearing operation in Ottawa, the capital, on February 18, local time to the protesters who continued to demonstrate and occupy the area. As of 11:00 that night, hundreds of demonstrators had been arrested, and more than 20 vehicles participating in the blockade of the demonstration had been towed away.
Following the arrest of several demonstrators on the 17th, including the two main leaders of the demonstration organization “Freedom Convoy”, the police continued to deploy a large number of personnel on the 18th to carry out clearing and law enforcement operations on the streets in front of Capitol Hill and the surrounding downtown areas.
The police repeatedly issued warnings at the scene and through social networking platforms and other channels, requiring demonstrators to leave the venue; at the same time, the media were reminded to keep their distance and stay away from police actions for safety. Police warned that anyone in the law enforcement area might be arrested.
The police lined up in a human wall to push forward slowly, forcing the demonstrators back, saying that the purpose of this was to allow the demonstrators to leave the venue on their own. Front row police officers wear riot helmets. There were physical clashes between protesters and police.
Police said some protesters attacked officers and tried to remove their weapons. Mounted police were dispatched to the scene to separate the crowd at one point. Someone tried to attack the horse with a bicycle and was arrested by the police.
The law enforcement force includes Ottawa Police, Provincial Police, RCMP and other city-backed officers.
More than 100 demonstrators were arrested on the 18th, including the other two main leaders of the “Freedom Motorcade”.
The police told the media that followingnoon that no protesters were injured, but some police officers were slightly injured. Ottawa police also said that they were once more faced with a large number of calls trying to block the 911 call that day.
In view of the police’s enforcement actions, the Canadian House of Representatives canceled the meeting that had planned to debate the implementation of the “Emergency Act” on the same day. The Senate extended its recess until February 21.
Some truck drivers who participated in the demonstration drove away. However, the clearing operation was not completed that day. In the middle of the night, several demonstrators and their trucks were still confronting the police in front of Capitol Hill and the surrounding streets. Some protesters cooked food on the street or lit braziers to keep warm.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened an emergency response team meeting for the sixth time on the same day. The ultimate goal, the meeting said, is to safely end this series of illegal blockades and occupations across the country and restore order.
Trudeau said on social networking platforms in the evening that three weeks of illegal blockades and occupations have threatened businesses, endangered jobs and hindered communities. The federal government will ensure that all levels of government have the resources they need and do everything they can to keep people safe and the situation under control.
Since many demonstrators brought their children to participate in the protests, the Ottawa Children’s Aid Association said it would cooperate with the police to provide corresponding care for these children.
Police have designated a “safe zone” in central Ottawa on the 17th and set up regarding 100 checkpoints. Anyone who enters a safe zone for the purpose of violating the Emergency Act may be arrested and charged.
The Canadian government will implement new regulations on January 15, requiring cross-border truck drivers and other people who provide “essential services” to produce a new crown vaccination certificate when entering Canada. The United States implemented a similar request a week later. That means regarding 10,000 Canadian cross-border drivers who are under-vaccinated will struggle to get on the road. As a result, truck drivers and other groups formed the so-called “freedom convoy” to enter Ottawa at the end of January to carry out large-scale continuous demonstrations and “occupation”. The protest demands quickly turned into opposition to various public epidemic prevention measures. Protests and blockades once spread to many cities in Canada and some highway ports on the Canada-US border, and even caused some other countries to follow suit.
The Trudeau government has always said it will not budge on the protests. The Canadian government first used the Emergency Act to declare a public order emergency on February 14.
