With the “freedom convoy” protests spreading throughout the whole of Canada this week, authorities from our our northern neighbor nation are growing desperate to put an end to the public demonstration.
The most poignant exemple of these protests comes to us from Ottawa, where truck drivers opposing a restrictive new quarantine rule have banded together to bring their vehicles into the Canadian capital city and park them…for the foreseeable future.
Now, as the protest rages, authorities are trying everything in their power to regain control of their constituents – including major threats.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon as approximately 500 trucks and vehicles with the “Freedom Convoy” continue to linger in the streets of the Canadian capital to protest vaccine mandates.
“Declaring a state of emergency reflects the serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents posed by the ongoing demonstrations and highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government,” the city said in a statement.
The statement went on to explain that the emergency declaration offers the city greater flexibility “to manage business continuity for essential services for its residents and enables a more flexible procurement process, which could help purchase equipment required by frontline workers and first responders.”
And that wasn’t all:
The declaration came hours after the Ottawa Police threatened to arrest anyone who brings gasoline or other material support to the truckers.
“Anyone attempting to bring material supports (gas, etc.) to the demonstrators could be subject to arrest. Enforcement is underway,” the police announced in a tweet emblazoned with “IMPORTANT.”
The truckers are protesting a new rule that would force any of their colleagues to quarantine for 14 days after returning from the United States if they are unvaccinated.
