Canada: Ottawa declares “state of emergency” due to protests against sanitary measures for the coronavirus

the mayor of Ottawa declared a “state of emergency” on Sunday in the capital of Canadaconsidering that the situation in his city was “out of control”, paralyzed for more than a week by opponents of sanitary measures against the coronaviruswhile the police hardened their tone against the protesters.

The protests, which began in Ottawa on Saturday the 29th, they spread this weekend to other large Canadian cities while on Sunday dozens of trucks and protesters kept the center of the capital paralyzed.

MIRA: Ottawa “out of control” for protest against sanitary measures for the coronavirus in Canada

Mayor Jim Watson announced in the afternoon that it was declaring a state of emergency in Ottawa (province of Ontario) “due to the ongoing demonstration.”

The decision “reflects the grave danger and threat to the safety of residents posed by the ongoing protests and underscores the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government”explained the City Council in a statement.

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He argued that the measure “It also provides greater flexibility within the municipal administration to allow the city of Ottawa manage business continuity to deliver essential services” to residents.

Out of control

Earlier, the mayor declared to a local radio that “the situation is currently out of control because the protesters impose their law”. The protesters “are many more than our police,” she said.

“We are losing the battle”, the mayor admitted (…) we must recover the city”, he remarked.

Watson called the behavior of protesters blocking streets and truckers honking their horns “unacceptable.”

The movement, called “Freedom Convoy” initially aimed against the decision to force truck drivers to be vaccinated against covid-19 in order to cross the border with the United States. The protest later turned into a mobilization against all health measures and against the very government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The protesters have already expressed that they intend to remain on the street until all sanitary restrictions are lifted.

Similar movements, but on a smaller scale, took place on Saturday in several major Canadian cities such as Toronto, Quebec or Winnipeg, and continued on Sunday especially in Quebec.

In the morning, the movement’s organizers in Ottawa announced as a “goodwill gesture” their intention to pause their trumpet concerts for a few hours on Sunday to honor the “Lord’s Day.”

chaos and demand

the police of Ottawa, criticized for not having been able to prevent the paralysis of the center of the capital, announced for its part its intention to prevent the supply of the demonstrators, in particular fuel. “Anyone who tries to provide material support (fuel, etc.) to the protesters risks being arrested. This measure is already in force, ”she warned on Sunday in a Twitter post.

After this announcement, he indicated at night that he had made “several arrests”.

The Ottawa Police Chief. Peter Sloly regretted not having sufficient means to end what he described as a “state of siege” and asked for “supplemental resources”.

The institution expected to receive 250 troops from the Royal Canadian Gendarmerie; a body of the federal police.

450 fines have been imposed since Saturday morning, for excessive noise or use of fireworkspolice spokesmen reported Ottawaand protesters were noted to have engaged in disruptive or illegal acts that posed a risk to public safety or increased “people’s distress”.

A hundred investigations were also opened for crimes related to the demonstration.

The residents of OttawaDesperate for the chaos, they launched a class action lawsuit for about 10 million Canadian dollars (about 7.8 million dollars) against the organizers.

In Quebec, the capital of the French-speaking province of the same name, the protesters were less numerous than on Saturday. The organizers, who stressed that their protests had been peaceful, announced that they would leave the city on Sunday night, promising, however, to return in two weeks, once the city’s Carnival, currently underway, ends.

On their side, the Quebec police announced at night on Twitter that “all the immobilized trucks” that participated in the movement had left the city.

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Source: Elcomercio

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