Canada police tow trucks and arrest protesters in bid to break Ottawa siege
- Hundreds of officers, some in riot gear or carrying automatic weapons, led demonstrators away in handcuffs
- Scuffles broke out in places, and police repeatedly pushed the crowd back amid cries of ‘Freedom!’ and the singing of the national anthem, O Canada
Police arrested scores of demonstrators and towed away vehicles on Friday in Canada’s besieged capital, and a stream of trucks started leaving under the pressure, raising authorities’ hopes for an end to the three-week protest against the country’s Covid-19 restrictions.
By midafternoon, at least 70 people had been arrested, mostly on mischief charges, and nearly two dozen vehicles had been towed, including all of those blocking one of the city’s major streets, authorities said. One officer had a minor injury, but no protesters were hurt, interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell said.
Police “continue to push forward to take control of our streets,” he said, adding: “We will work day and night until this is completed.”
Those arrested included at least four protest leaders.
The crackdown on the self-styled “Freedom Convoy” began in the morning, when hundreds of police, some in riot gear and some carrying automatic weapons, descended into the protest zone and began leading demonstrators away in handcuffs through the snowy streets as holdout truckers blared their horns.