The streets of Canada’s capital – Ottawa – were finally quiet after the police got rid of the last big trucks, that were towed away on Sunday, 20 February, after a brutal police op ended a the protest against the COVID-19 health rules.
The police in riot gear had faced off with truckers-led demonstrators for two full days, finally driving them out of their protest hub outside the parliament.
Jeff Lindley, a worker who lives and works downtown, said, "I'm very happy to have my city back…It's so much better today, calmer and quieter without the ominous presence of all the trucks and protesters," news agency AFP reported.
Meanwhile, a few protesters had stayed late into Saturday night, singing protest anthems and setting off fireworks outside a four-meter-high security fence surrounding the parliamentary precinct.
Police were seeing patrolling on early Sunday, restricting access to a 500-acre (200-hectare) downtown area.
The police said that 57 vehicles have been towed out of the city center so far. Meanwhile, for the first time in weeks, Ottawa residents were not awakened by the honking of the trucks that had become a part of the protests.
Despite a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases and easing of restrictions, protesters have continued calling for a full lifting of restrictions.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is facing a lawsuit from a civil liberties group and pushback from the opposition over the decision to use emergency powers to crack down on protesters.
How and Why Did the Protests Begin?
The truckers protests began on 15 January, as a cry to end the vaccine mandate for truckers crossing over to the US, but soon escalated to a call to end the COVID restrictions in Canada. Former US President Donald Trump and Tesla founder Elon Musk had supported the demands of the protestors.
The protestors, under the umbrella of 'Freedom Convoy,' had been asking for a meeting with the Canadian authorities, save Justin Trudeau, as an attempt to discuss a resolution.
Trudeau, however, called for a stop to the protests, remarking that the "individuals were trying to blockade our economy, our democracy, and our daily citizens lives".
While an Ontario court passed the orders to stop the continued honking by the trucks on the appeal of local residents, the noise could be heard even after the same, as per reports in The Guardian.
There are fears of similar agitations arising in other parts of Canada and the US in the coming days.
(With inputs from AFP)
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