Protesters are digging in as Ottawa police begin to roll out a plan to end the trucker protest occupation that has clogged the centre of the Canadian capital for almost three weeks. Interim police chief Steve Bell says if they want to leave peacefully, now is the time and they will be given a secure route out of the city.
“If they do not peacefully leave, we have plans, strategies and tactics to get them to leave,” he told reporters, saying that action is “imminent”. Protest organiser Chris Barber was spotted being taken into police custody.
A secure zone with 100 check points is in the process of being set up and only residents, businesses, and people with legitimate reasons to be there will be allowed in. The plan is to stop a weekend influx of demonstrators coming for a fourth time.
Under the Emergencies Act invoked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, law enforcement officials have the ability to arrest people for obstruction of roadways and disruptive behaviour within a no-go exclusion zone. Authorities also have the power to seize vehicles and freeze bank accounts.
On Wednesday, leaflets were handed out to the occupants of vehicles parked in the area around parliament warning them to go or face criminal charges. A ban on the use of airhorns has been extended for 60 days. On Thursday morning there were no signs of the convoy moving on and further warnings were issued.
A row has also erupted over the naming of donors to the Canadian trucker protest, with both Fox News host Tucker Carlson and US Democratic representative Ilhan Omar accusing the media of inciting violence by making public the names of people who donated to the protesters.
