Canada’s Ottawa Standoff Continues As Protests Spread to Other Countries (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Ottawa Police increased presence around Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday as the standoff with the 'Freedom Convoy' continued in the Canadian capital.
Police in Canada's national capital warned truck-led protesters on Wednesday that they could face criminal charges and their trucks could be seized if they continue their "unlawful" clogging of downtown streets."
Ottawa has been gridlocked by a so-called "Freedom Convoy" consisting of truckers and other motorists for 12 days now. The government has already declared a state of emergency in the city.
What started last month as a movement opposing a Canadian vaccine mandate for cross-border drivers - a requirement mirrored by a US rule –has morphed into a rallying point against the government’s public health measures.
Protesters have said they will not leave until all mandates and COVID-19 restrictions are dispensed with.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has lambasted the movement as "unacceptable," warning that the action threatens the country's economic recovery.
"Blockades, illegal demonstrations are unacceptable, and are negatively impacting businesses and manufacturers," Trudeau said in the House of Commons on Wednesday. "We must do everything to bring them to an end."
"You can't end a pandemic with blockades... You need to end it with science. You need to end it with public health measures," he said to the protesters.
This comes as the busiest land crossing from the United States to Canada has remained shut.
Trucks started blocking traffic at the Ambassador Bridge, located between Lake Erie and Lake Huron, late on Monday.
Several Canadian and American chambers of commerce and industry associations have demanded the bridge be cleared.
Another trade link between Coutts, Alberta and Sweet Grass, Montana has also been blocked by protesters for several days.
The protests against COVID-19 restrictions have spread to other cities across the North American country, including Toronto, Edmonton, Halifax, and Vancouver as well. They have also sparked solidarity rallies in other countries around the world—namely New Zealand's capital Wellington and Canberra in Australia.