The mayor of Ottawa has declared a state of emergency in the Canadian capital in a bid to end a 10-day blockade by truck drivers and protesters protesting pandemic measures aimed at tackling the pandemic.
“(The decision) reflects the serious danger and threat to the safety of residents involved in the ongoing protests and underscores the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government,” Mayor Jim Watson said in a statement, according to Reuters.
Watson, who complained earlier today that there were more protesters than police and was in control of the situation, did not elaborate on the measures he could impose.
The “Freedom Convoy” started as a movement against the Canadian requirement that cross-border truck drivers be vaccinated to cross the country, but has now evolved into a broad movement against public health measures and in the government of Prime Minister Justin Trinto.
The Canadian government, however, has said it will not back down on public health measures.
“Convoy may disagree, but it is not above the law and there should be a peaceful solution to this as soon as possible,” Canadian Public Security Minister Marco Medicino told CBC television.
Protesters, meanwhile, have paralyzed downtown Ottawa for the past nine days, with some participants waving Confederate or Nazi flags and others saying they want to overthrow the Canadian government.
Source: Capital
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