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Reuters

The Canadian government will not use troops against truckers whose nearly week-long protest of coronavirus vaccine mandates has brought traffic in central Ottawa to a halt, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
More than 200 trucks and other vehicles have been blockading downtown roads in the nation’s capital since last Friday in what is an unprecedented protest by Canadian standards.
Organisers say drivers plan to hold similar protests in Toronto, the country’s most populous city and its financial hub, and Quebec City later this week amid growing frustration over almost two years of restrictions imposed to fight Covid-19.
Ottawa residents are angry that local police are largely watching the demonstrations rather than moving in to break them up. The city’s police chief on Wednesday indicated guns were being smuggled into the protest and said using the military was an option, but Trudeau dismissed the idea.
“There is no question of sending in the army,” the prime minister said.

Some demonstrators want an end to a federal Covid-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers while others insist Trudeau be removed from power on the grounds he exceeded his authority.
Protest organiser Tamara Lich said the demonstrators would stay in place until all mandates had been dropped.
Thousands protest against coronavirus vaccine mandates in Ottawa
“Our movement has grown in Canada and across the world because common people are tired of the mandates and restrictions in their lives that now seem to be doing more harm than good,” she told a news conference.
A few people on Ottawa streets have brandished Nazi flags, harassed minorities and threatened reporters.

“That is unacceptable. It’s time for these people to go home,” Trudeau told reporters.
Ottawa police, who have made just three arrests so far, issued 30 traffic tickets on Wednesday.
The protesters have raised more than C$10 million (US$7.9 million) on the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe, which has suspended disbursements while it checks on how the money is being spent.
Legislators on the House of Commons public safety committee voted on Thursday to summon GoFundMe representatives to testify about what safeguards it has in place when it comes to releasing the funds.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault said authorities would not tolerate any mayhem related to protests. Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand told a radio station that “there are lessons to be learned from Ottawa”.
Trudeau’s Liberals look set to benefit politically from the protests, which have split the official opposition Conservative Party. Federal Conservative lawmakers ousted leader Erin O’Toole on Wednesday, citing his poor performance in an election defeat to the Liberals last September and his initial, lukewarm support for the protests.
Former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer and other parliamentarians later posed with truckers, a move Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson branded “an absolute disgrace”.


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Coronavirus pandemic

Canada rules out use of troops against Ottawa trucker Covid-19 protests

Truck drivers hang a Canadian flag on the front grill of a truck parked in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, near Parliament Hill. Photo: AP

Police in downtown Ottawa, Canada. Photo: Bloomberg

Truckers and their supporters play street hockey. Photo: AP

Vehicles block downtown streets in Ottawa, Canada. Photo: Reuters

Europe sees fresh wave of protests, violence against Covid-19 restrictions

Riot police clash with protesters in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: EPA-EFE

20 November 2021, Austria, Vienna: People march with flags and placards down Ringstrasse during a protest against the upcoming nationwide coronavirus lockdown. Photo: Florian Wieser/APA/dpa

epa09596336 People take part in an anti-coronavirus measures protest in Brussels Belgium, 21 November 2021. In a move to tackle yet another COVID-19 wave, the Belgian government imposed strict measures, pushing thousands to the streets to protest against mandatory vaccinations, health pass and anti-coronavirus measures. EPA-EFE/STEPHANIE LECOCQ

People take part in a demonstration against COVID-19 restrictions in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

20 November 2021, Austria, Vienna: People light flares while marching down the Heldenplatz during a protest against the upcoming nationwide coronavirus lockdown. Photo: Florian Wieser/APA/dpa

A man rides his bicycle past burned cars after violent demonstrations which broke out over coronavirus disease (COVID-19) protocols, in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe November 21, 2021. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo

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People burn bengalos as they take part in a demonstration against coronavirus restrictions in Vienna, Austria on Saturday. Photo: AP

Demonstrators wave Austrian flags during a rally held by Austria's far-right Freedom Party FPOe against the measures taken to curb the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, at Heldenplatz square in front of the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria on November 20, 2021. - Austria will impose a lockdown for all and make vaccinations mandatory, Austria's Chancellor Schallenberg announced on November 19, making the country the first in the EU to take such stringent measures as coronavirus cases spiral. The Alpine nation plans to make Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory from February 1 next year, while the lockdown will start from Monday, November 22 and will be evaluated after 10 days. (Photo by Joe Klamar / AFP)

Canada’s Justin Trudeau ‘regrets’ beach holiday on day to honour Indigenous survivors

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listens to a question during a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

A screen grab shows Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walking on the beach in Tofino, Canada October 1, 2021. GLOBAL NEWS/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. CANADA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CANADA

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Canada’s capital beset by protesters led by truckers opposed to mandatory Covid-19 vaccines
Ottawa police said this week that all options are on the table, including calling in the military



Canada’s capital has been beset by protesters led by truckers opposed to mandatory Covid vaccines for travelling between Canada and the United States.


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Canada rules out use of troops against Ottawa trucker Covid-19 protests

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Canada’s capital beset by protesters led by truckers opposed to mandatory Covid-19 vaccines Ottawa police said this week that all options are on the table, including calling in the military

Canada’s capital beset by protesters led by truckers opposed to mandatory Covid-19 vaccines

Ottawa police said this week that all options are on the table, including calling in the military