Police in Ottawa said the military might be needed to help disband anti-vaccination protests that have caused a snarl in Canada‘s capital for days.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said at a briefing Wednesday that the demonstration was no longer a “policing” matter because people from all over the country came to the nation’s capital, elevating the protest to a “national issue.”
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“We’re looking at every single option, including military aid,” Sloly said, according to Reuters. “Mixing them into a population in the downtown core in a highly volatile demonstration … may mitigate some risks and may create and escalate a whole bunch of other risks.”
Thousands of truck drivers and protesters flocked to the capital city over the weekend and blocked major routes in the city. Some of the protesters have stayed put, blocking the routes for the past six days. The initial protest was meant to put pressure on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to eliminate a vaccine mandate for all cross-border truck drivers. However, it has grown to include people protesting the prime minister and COVID-19 rules in general.
A similar protest is happening in the border village of Coutts, in Alberta, Canada, creating a blockade at the border between the United States and its neighbor to the north.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU SAYS HE WILL NOT MEET WITH TRUCKERS PROTESTING VACCINE MANDATES
The organizers of the Freedom Convoy 2022 in Ottawa said they have no plans to disband until COVID-19 rules are disbanded despite understanding the frustration and disruption the protest has caused.
“Our message to the citizens of Ottawa is one of empathy. We understand your frustration and genuinely wish there was another way for us to get our message across, but the responsibility for your inconvenience lies squarely on the shoulders of politicians who have prefer to vilify and call us names rather than engage in respectful, serious dialogue,” Chris Barber, who is identified as a senior leader of the convoy, said in a news release. “The fastest way to get us out of the nation’s Capital, is to call your elected representatives and end all C-19 mandates, as the UK did two weeks ago and as both Sweden and Switzerland did today.”
Three arrests have been made in the capital so far, with 18 other investigations ongoing, Sloly said. One man was charged Wednesday for making threats on social media while in the capital, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
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Trudeau, in a press conference Monday, said he will not be meeting with the truck drivers because of their “hateful rhetoric.” He also claimed most Canadians were disgusted by the protest.
“Canadians know where I stand,” Trudeau said. “This is a moment for responsible leaders to think carefully about where they stand and who they stand with.”
