OTTAWA (Reuters) – Police in the Canadian capital of Ottawa on Friday promised tougher action against hundreds of truckers who have blockaded the city center for eight days as part of a protest against CVOID-19 vaccine mandates.
To the increasing fury of residents, police have so far largely stood by and watched as some protesters smashed windows, threatened reporters and abused racial minorities.
The Ottawa police service said it would put more officers on the street and was “implementing a surge and contain strategy” to restore order.
“The hatred, violence, and illegal acts that Ottawa residents and businesses have endured over the last week is unacceptable in any circumstance,” it said in a statement.
“The Ottawa Police Service and the City of Ottawa are bringing significantly greater resources to restore order, hold offenders to account and protect our neighborhoods.”
Police will order some truckers to move and if they refuse, their vehicles will be towed, it said.
Some demonstrators want an end to a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers while others insist that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau be removed from power on the grounds he exceeded his authority by trying to clamp down on the pandemic.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Mark Porter)
