The situation in Ottawa is “out of control”, warned this Sunday (6) the mayor of the Canadian capital, whose center has been blocked for more than a week by opponents of health measures against Covid-19.
The protests, which first took place in Ottawa on the 29th, spread over the weekend to other major Canadian cities as dozens of trucks and protesters hold down the center of the Canadian capital today paralyzed.
“The situation is out of control because the protesters are enforcing their law,” Mayor Jim Watson told local radio. The demonstrators “are much more than our police officers. We are losing the battle,” acknowledged the mayor.
Watson found the behavior of protesters, who block streets, and truck drivers, who honk their horns incessantly, unacceptable.
Initially, the “Freedom Train” was a movement against the decision to force truckers to be vaccinated to cross the border into the United States. Later, the demonstration turned into a mobilization against all health measures and against the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Protesters say they intend to stay on the streets until all health restrictions are lifted. Similar but smaller protests took place in other major Canadian cities such as Toronto, Quebec and Winnipeg.
The Ottawa police chief regretted not having sufficient means to put an end to what he described as a “state of siege”, and asked for “additional resources”. Ottawa police expect to receive 250 soldiers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, linked to the federal police.
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