Some trucks that had been parked in front of parliament for weeks drove away as the police approached. Police smashed the windows of some vehicles in order to make arrests.
Hundreds of truck drivers block the streets of the Canadian capital.
Ⓒ AP
Police have repeatedly urged the protesters to leave or else they would be arrested. The group of protesters was already considerably smaller on Saturday morning than Friday, according to Canadian broadcaster CBC.
Due to the unrest, Canada’s parliament on Friday canceled a session that would discuss the emergency law that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau activated on Monday to give authorities expanded powers against the demonstrators. Parliament met again on Saturday.
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The Senate building in Ottawa is being fenced off.
Ⓒ AP
The ‘freedom convoy’ in Ottawa started weeks ago as a campaign against the vaccination requirement to be allowed to cross the border into the US. The protests are causing persistent congestion in Ottawa and on roads between Canada and the United States. The Canadian Minister of Public Security believes that the blockades in border areas endanger the reputation and security of the country. The protests also spread to other countries, including the Netherlands.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resorted to an unprecedented emergency law earlier this week to give his government and the police more powers. Among other things, this emergency law prohibits traveling to Ottawa to protest. Trudeau calls the demonstrations “a threat to our democracy.”