Ottawa police tow trucks and arrest demonstrators as they link arms protesting Covid rules in Canada

A protester movies a line of law enforcement officials as they assemble by the Rideau Centre close to the truck blockade in Ottawa (Image: AP)

Police in Ottawa started arresting protestors on Friday after three weeks of demonstrations sieged Canada’s capitol, the place lots of of angered truckers declared their objection to the nation’s Covid-19 mandates.

Some protestors surrendered and had been taken into custody, whereas others had been led away in handcuffs. Many remained defiant properly into Friday afternoon, when tow vans had been introduced out to take away automobiles of these defying regulation enforcement.

At the very least 70 protesters had been arrested by mid-afternoon, totally on mischief prices. Over two dozen automobiles had been additionally towed, together with all that had been blocking one of many metropolis’s main streets, authorities mentioned.

One police officer had a minor harm, however no protestors had been damage, interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell mentioned.

Some demonstrators supporting the Freedom Convoy, which began as a protest in opposition to cross-border vaccine mandate and grew right into a higher rally in opposition to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, locked arms in opposition to police on Friday.

Protestors locked arms to dam regulation enforcement officers from advancing towards Parliament Hill whereas singing Canada’s nationwide anthem. Some shouted ‘Maintain the road,’ ‘freedom’ and ‘peace and love,’ in keeping with Breitbart.

Cops detain a person, as truckers and supporters proceed to protest coronavirus illness (Image: Reuters)

Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Friday mentioned regulation enforcement had been hoping to quickly see progress within the elimination of these nonetheless occupying the bridges and roadways that unite the US to Canada.

‘The folks occupying Ottawa have been given loads of time to depart peacefully. They know there are penalties for not doing so,’ Ford mentioned. ‘And I proceed to encourage everybody to depart instantly. I've each confidence in our regulation enforcement to deliver an finish to this, they usually proceed to have my full assist.’

Ottawa police proceed to warn protesters that they need to depart. Officers have gone door to door alongside the road of vans, campers and different automobiles holding a standstill on the streets.

‘You will need to depart. You will need to stop additional illegal exercise and instantly take away your car and/or property from all illegal protest websites,’ Ottawa police tweeted. ‘Anybody throughout the illegal protest web site could also be arrested.’

A protester sings the nationwide anthem as they're taken into custody by law enforcement officials (Image: AP)

Officers have filed prices in opposition to two organizers of the ‘Freedom Convoy’: Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, who had been each arrested on Thursday, in keeping with CTV Information.

Lich, 49, of Medication Hat, Alberta, has been charged with counseling to commit the offense of mischief, and Barber, 46, of Swift Present, Saskatchewan, faces prices of counseling to commit the offense of mischief, counseling to commit the offense of disobeying a court docket order and counseling to commit the offense of obstructing police.