Hundreds of truckers pour into Ottawa to protest vaccine requirements

Supporters arrive at Parliament Hill for the Freedom Truck Convoy to protest towards Covid-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions in Ottawa, Canada (AFP)

OTTAWA: A whole lot of vehicles and hundreds of individuals blocked the streets of central Ottawa on Saturday as a part of a self-titled “Freedom Convoy” to protest vaccine mandates required to cross the US border.
Flying the Canadian flag, waving banners demanding “Freedom” and chanting slogans towards Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the truckers have been joined by hundreds of different protesters angered not solely by Covid-19 restrictions however by broader discontent with the federal government.
An infinite clamor rang out as a whole lot of huge vehicles, their engines rumbling, sounded their air horns continuous.
Nearer to Parliament, households calmly marched on a bitterly chilly day, whereas younger individuals chanted and older individuals within the crowd banged pots and pans in protest beneath Trudeau’s workplace home windows.
Canadian media stated the prime minister and his household had been escorted out of their residence and brought to a secret location within the capital, with a lot of the protesters’ wrath directed at Trudeau.
“I need all of it to cease — these measures are unjustified,” stated one demonstrator, 31-year-old businessman Philippe Castonguay, exterior the Parliament constructing.
He had pushed seven hours from northern Quebec province to make his emotions identified: “The vaccination necessities are taking us towards a brand new society we by no means voted for,” he stated.
The protest originated final week in western Canada, the place dozens of truckers organized a convoy to drive from Vancouver to Ottawa to exhibit towards Covid-related restrictions, significantly a vaccination requirement for truck drivers.
Each Canada and the USA imposed that requirement in mid-January, affecting drivers who cross the 5,500-mile (9,000-kilometer) border- the world’s longest.
The motion quickly gained steam as the unique cross-country convoy was joined by others en path to the federal capital.
Their rallying level was Parliament Hill, within the coronary heart of Ottawa.
Stephen Penderness, an unvaccinated 28-year-old trucker from Ontario, stated he was protesting for all Canadians, not simply his fellow drivers.
“It is truly for each single particular person… all people on the highway,” he stated. “It is all about your free alternative.”
Angela Bernal, a 67-year-old retired instructor stated she needed “governments to raise the measures,” including that “sustaining the restrictions is ineffective.”
With a robust police presence across the federal capital the protest went off with out main incident regardless of preliminary fears there may very well be violence.
The zone round Parliament was closed for the weekend, and Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly described the scenario on the bottom as “distinctive, fluid, dangerous and vital.”
Police stated they worry some demonstrators will keep past the Saturday protest, snarling site visitors additional.
Trudeau, who’s presently in isolation after a Covid publicity, on Wednesday defended the vaccination mandate, noting that 90 p.c of drivers are already vaccinated.
He referred to as the truckers headed for the town a “small fringe minority” who don’t characterize the vast majority of Canadians.
Trudeau stated Friday that the truckers’ views — which he described as anti-science, anti-government and anti-society — posed a danger not solely to themselves however to different Canadians as properly.
The chief of the Conservative opposition, Erin O’Toole, urged the protesters to stay peaceable. He has promised to satisfy with the truckers.
The motion acquired an endorsement Thursday from Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who tweeted, “Canadian truckers rule.”
Thus far, 82 p.c of Canadians aged 5 or older have been vaccinated towards Covid-19. Amongst adults, the determine is 90 p.c.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance, a significant business group, stated the overwhelming majority of the nation’s truck drivers are vaccinated. It has “strongly disapproved” of the gathering in Ottawa.