Arrests of protesters in the Canadian capital

Tow trucks have begun removing trucks from downtown Ottawa. Some of the trucks are being driven by police themselves, arresting the drivers and confiscating the keys. Police say the operation will last several days. As of Friday evening, at least 100 people had been arrested. It was not without scuffles.

For now, truckers continue to strike in the city center, and police block the streets, preventing anyone from reaching Parliament and nearby neighborhoods. Electric trains from the suburbs have been cancelled, officially because of the snowfall.

Chris Barber, one of the organizers of the protests, was arrested Thursday night — and on Friday he was released on bail with the condition that he leave Ottawa within 24 hours and leave Ontario by noon Wednesday. He must also report to police once a day where he is and appear in court on March 1.

The other organizers of the protests are still in custody, the hearing in the case of Tamara Leach was postponed to Saturday morning. All of them are accused of inciting hooliganism and disobedience to police.

The Canadian Constitutional Foundation (CCF) and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) have separately sued the Trudeau government for enforcing the Emergency Response Act. Canada's federal court will have to decide whether the protests in Ottawa actually seriously threatened the health and safety of Canadians or the government's ability to preserve Canadian sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. Recall that Trudeau did not wait for Parliament to approve the dispersal of the protesters and the sessions were adjourned.

A fresh poll shows that 72% of Canadians disapprove of the prolonged protest and think truckers should go home. 44% said they now approve of the restrictions more than they did before the rallies began: they are wearing masks indoors and believe that boundary crossers should be vaccinated.

People did not like the fact that protesters called for the harassment of medics and mask-wearers, bleeped and honked in downtown Ottawa for three weeks, and desecrated the National War Memorial. Canadians are also deeply frustrated by the actions of the police, who took so long to do anything about it. During this time, a third person has taken over as head of the Ottawa police, and many of its leaders have resigned, but little has changed.

70% of respondents believe that the army or police should finally intervene and stop the rally. 26% believe that politicians should talk to the protesters, with 65% dissatisfied with the behavior of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau.