Scuffles break out as Canada police tow trucks, step up arrests to clear Ottawa protests
The Canadian police began towing trucks from central Ottawa on Friday (February 18) and stepped up arrests of protesters in a bid to end a trucker-led movement that has blockaded the capital for three weeks and embarrassed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.
The protesters have lined up heavy trucks outside parliament and Trudeau's office, and Ottawa police, fearing escalation or violence, have sought to disperse them with fines and threats of possible arrest.
Police said they had arrested 15 protesters and towed four vehicles, including what a Reuters photographer said was an 18-wheeler truck. Hundreds of police lined up in front of protesters near parliament, slowly advancing towards them and making arrests.
The protesters initially wanted an end to cross-border COVID-19 vaccine mandates for truck drivers, but the blockade gradually turned into an anti-government and anti-Trudeau demonstration. They have vowed to remain peaceful but say they will stand their ground until police physically remove them.
Trudeau on Monday invoked emergency powers to give his government wider authority to stop the protests. Legislators were due to debate those temporary powers on Friday, but the House of Commons suspended its session, citing police activity.
Trudeau sought the special powers after protesters shut down US border crossings including Ontario's Ambassador Bridge to Detroit, a choke point for the region's automakers. The shutdown of the bridge, which was cleared on Sunday, had damaged both countries' economies and posed a major crisis for Trudeau.
(Source: Reuters)
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