Anti-vaccine protesters who have occupied the center of Ottawa, Canada’s capital, for three weeks have erected children as a barrier to prevent the advance of officers attempting to break up the concentration, police reported on Friday.
In a Twitter post, the body said the anti-vaxxers placed the children between police operations and the location of the protests, for officers to transfer the minors “to a safe place”.
Las fuerzas de seguridad empezaron a primera hora de esta mañana a dissolver la protest con un fuerte despliegue de agents en el centro de la ciudad y procedieron a detener à demonstrateurs y artirar vehículos, algunos de ellos trucks, parked in the middle of the calle desde finales of January.
According to the latest police data, so far there have been 15 arrests and 4 vehicles have been removed.
In the face of police pressure, protesters have already completely abandoned Nicholas Street, and the clash between officers and anti-vaxxers is now taking place on Rideau Street.
Police reminded protesters that under federal and provincial laws, those who do not immediately leave the scene and remove their vehicles from the street face “severe penalties”.
The House of Commons (which, together with the Senate, constitutes the Canadian Parliament) suspended its session this Friday precisely to avoid possible incidents as long as the police operation lasts.
Central Ottawa remains locked down by police and can only be accessed by passing through one of the checkpoints set up by authorities to prevent more protesters from joining the concentration.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday invoked the Emergencies Act, which gives the government extraordinary powers to end protests, which had spread to several border crossings with the United States.
The Emergencies Law allows authorities to seize protest trucks and prosecute those traveling to the capital to join the blockade.
Anti-vaxers can face fines, lose their driver’s license (many of them are truck drivers) and be denied entry into the US border.
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