Protests that began in Ottawa on Saturday spread to other major Canadian cities over the weekend, while dozens of trucks and demonstrators continued to paralyze the center of the capital on Sunday.
As a result, Mayor Jim Watson in the afternoon declared a state of emergency in Ottawa “due to the ongoing demonstration”.
The municipality said in a statement that the decision “reflects the grave danger and threat to the safety and security of residents as a result of the ongoing protests, and stresses the need for support from the judicial authorities and other government bodies.”
She added that the measure “also provides greater flexibility within the municipal administration to allow the City of Ottawa to continue to work towards the provision of basic services” to residents.
Watson had said earlier on Sunday that “the situation is completely out of control (in Ottawa). We are losing the battle… We must take our city back.”
The mayor also described the demonstrators’ behavior as “unacceptable” by blocking downtown roads and continuously sounding the horns of their heavy trucks.
In turn, Ottawa police, criticized for their inability to prevent the paralysis of the center of the capital, announced a ban on supplying protesters with fuel.
And the police warned in a tweet on Twitter that “anyone who tries to provide material support (such as fuel) to the demonstrators risks being arrested. This measure is now in effect.”
The movement, which was called the “Freedom Caravan”, was originally intended to protest against the decision to compel truck drivers since mid-January to vaccinate against Covid to cross the border between Canada and the United States, but it quickly turned into a movement against health restrictions as a whole and against the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Demonstrators say they will continue their protest until health restrictions are lifted.
Similar protests, but on a smaller scale, took place in several major Canadian cities on Saturday, including Toronto, Quebec and Winnipeg, and continued Sunday in Quebec in particular.