Status: 02/18/2022 1:28 p.m
For weeks, truck drivers in and around Canada’s capital Ottawa have been protesting against the government’s corona policy. Now the police arrested a man and a woman who are said to have organized the protests.
The police in Canada have arrested two leaders of the blockade in the capital Ottawa, which has been going on for around three weeks. According to videos posted online by protesters, two organizers of the Corona protests, a man and a woman, were taken into custody by police officers.
Allegations of incitement to damage property
Both are accused of incitement to damage property, while the man has also been charged with obstruction of justice, a lawyer told Global News. The police initially gave no comment.
Ottawa’s interim police chief Steve Bell gave the protesters an ultimatum on Wednesday, threatening arrests if they didn’t evacuate downtown.
On Thursday he significantly increased the police presence in the parliamentary district and set up a security area with around 100 checkpoints in the city center.
Initial protest against compulsory vaccination
The actions of the truck drivers had started in protest against the vaccination requirement at border crossings, which had been introduced by Canada and the USA in mid-January.
The demonstrations are now generally directed against the Corona rules and the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He had declared a national emergency on Monday in order to be able to take stronger action against the protest convoys.