Truckers attempted to confront a line of police officers in Ottawa amid citywide tension between the “Freedom Convoy” and local officials.
A group of officers stood down a small group of truckers, who argued and pushed up against them. “How big you boys feel?” one protester yelled at an officer, with the officer barely responding.
Another man, identified as Mark, stepped out from the officers and appeared to calm the approaching truckers down, saying of officers, “These gentlemen at this moment are as tense as we are,” and he encouraged the truckers not to get aggressive. The standoff appeared to deescalate when two of the men shook hands.
OTTAWA POLICE ARREST DOZENS OF PROTESTERS, START TOWING RIGS
Ottawa is on a knife’s edge as officials attempt to resolve Freedom Convoy protests in which truckers have gathered to protest Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions. Police apprehended dozens of protesters on Thursday and began towing several of the trucks and rigs across the city Friday morning. Royal Canadian Mounted Police also arrested 11 people alongside a “cache of firearms” near the Montana-Canada border.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act on Monday to crack down on the protest. Ottawa police Chief Peter Sloly resigned on Tuesday amid criticism regarding his handling of the convoy.
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Still, the two sides may be moving toward a resolution. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said on Sunday that he would meet with convoy truckers to hear their complaints in exchange for moving their vehicles out of residential areas.
