The Ottawa (Canada) Police confirmed this Sunday that they had arrested 191 people and filed charges against 103 of them during the operation to disperse the anti-vaccination protest in the center of the Canadian capital.
For the first time in three weeks, the area around Canada’s Parliament was cleared of trucks and protesters on Sunday after local police evicted participants on Saturday in an operation that sparked controversy over the use of pepper spray and other tactics. against the crowds.
About 10 protesters were still gathered less than a kilometer from Parliament, according to The Toronto Star, but the scenario was very different from the one that paralyzed downtown Ottawa and several US border posts for weeks.
Ottawa Police said the operation was not over, despite regaining control of a large perimeter of the city center, including Wellington Street, where Parliament is located and which has been at the center of protests since January 29.
“We are using barriers to ensure that we do not lose ground we have gained,” police said on their official Twitter account.
Since the operation began last Friday, police have arrested 191 people, 103 of them on various charges, mostly for “riot and obstruction”, officials said.
In all, 89 of the detainees “were released under conditions” that include a ban on approaching certain areas, while the rest were released unconditionally.
In addition, 57 vehicles were towed away, most trucks linked to the protesters, many left parked in the area while police cleared the crowd.
The Ontario Special Investigations Unit announced Sunday that it was investigating police actions in two incidents on Friday and Saturday, broadcaster “CBC” reported.
A 49-year-old woman said she was seriously injured after interacting with a Toronto police officer on horseback. Another case involves the use of stun weapons in front of a crowd.
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