Ottawa police vow to ‘take back’ city from ‘Freedom Convoy’ protesters

“We are going to take back the entirety of the downtown core and every occupied space,” Ottawa Interim Police Chief Steve Bell told the city council late Wednesday.

Officers will enforce a plan to remove anyone who refuses to leave, Bell said. “You will be hearing and seeing these actions in the coming days,” he said.

Police on Wednesday handed demonstrators fliers in English and French telling them to leave or face arrest. They warned that participants who are convicted of crimes could be barred from entering the United States.

Ottawa police warn ‘Freedom Convoy’ protesters to ‘leave the area now’

Trudeau on Monday became the first Canadian leader to invoke the country’s Emergencies Act, giving authorities more power to regulate the protests and track their financing. The moves could set the stage for tougher action to quell the standoff gripping the city.

In a letter to the country’s provincial premiers, Trudeau wrote that “we are seeing activity that is a threat to our democracy and that is undermining the public’s trust in our institutions,” Canadian media reported.

He said his application of the law would be limited in time and targeted to specific locations. Some premiers and civil liberties advocates opposed the move.

Officials say the Emergencies Act gives police the authority to declare areas including Parliament and critical infrastructure off-limits for protests that “breach the peace.” Banks may freeze accounts without a court order, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police may enforce local laws and tow truck firms may be compelled to haul vehicles out.

Tow truck operators have been worried about the risks to their safety and future employment if the government asks them to remove the big rigs jamming downtown Ottawa, an industry leader told Canada’s public radio broadcaster Wednesday.

The country’s public safety minister warned of protester links to far-right groups. Police arrested 11 people and seized guns and ammunition Monday at a border blockade in Coutts, Alberta. Four people were charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Some protesters left the site after the arrests to avoid violence.

The fliers that police distributed in Ottawa did not seem to faze demonstrators Wednesday. They continued to blare horns and music; many vowed to stay until their demands were met. Those demands have ranged from the end of vaccine mandates and other public health restrictions to the removal of Trudeau and his government.

What is the Emergencies Act, which Trudeau invoked against Canada’s trucker protests?

In a tearful video posted on social media, convoy organizer Tamara Lich indicated it was “inevitable at this point” that she would face arrest and possible prison time. But she urged people to join them in Ottawa.

“You have to know that they’re trying to provoke us. … Tomorrow is a new day, and I’m ready. I am not afraid, and we’re gonna hold the line,” she said. “This has been a really crazy ride. … I just want you to stay strong,”

“I pray that you all find forgiveness in your hearts … even when we don’t understand it.”

Read more:

‘Freedom Convoy’ in Canada inspires vaccine-mandate protests from France to New Zealand

Canadian truck drivers distance themselves from ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests

Which U.S. communities sent money to support the Canadian trucker protests?