The Ottawa Police warned this Thursday that they will be deployed in the center of the Canadian capital to try to dissolve the protests by truckers and other anti-vaccine groups that, since January 29, have blocked access to Parliament.
Interim Police Chief Steve Bell said the force he represents has “one simple mission,” which is to “take over downtown and every occupied space” and “return the city to its normal state.”
The Ottawa Police have warned the protesters that they will face severe penalties if they do not stop their illegal activities and immediately remove their vehicles and property from all the places they have occupied.
Among the sanctions, the seizure and removal of the vehicle from public roads, and the suspension and cancellation of the driver's license and the registration of commercial activities, the Ottawa Police said in a note.
Motivated by the anti-vaccine protests, Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly resigned from his post on Tuesday, after a series of criticisms about the actions of officials due to the ease with which protesters took to the streets of the capital, as well as truck traffic on the main streets.
This week Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked special emergency powers to try to quell protests blocking Ottawa and some border points.
The protests began after a mandatory vaccination measure for truckers crossing from the United States to Canada.
