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Riot against corona policy: Canadian police officers lead a demonstrator away
Photo: BLAIR GABLE / REUTERS
After weeks of protests against the Canadian government's corona policy, armed police officers in Ottawa have begun pushing back the demonstrators and clearing streets blocked by them.
According to an AFP reporter, several hundred officers, some on horses, towed away vehicles and arrested demonstrators.
Three leaders of the protests were also arrested.
"You have to go," Ottawa Police said on Twitter, addressing the protesters.
"Any person present at the scene of an illegal demonstration can be arrested."
Authorities threatened "serious penalties if you do not immediately stop further unlawful activity and remove your vehicle and/or property."
Many of the demonstrators initially did not comply with the official evacuation order.
The police slowly worked their way forward piece by piece.
Some demonstrators were wrestled to the ground and then arrested.
It was expected that clearing the blocked roads could take days.
In view of the explosiveness on the street, the parliament canceled a session in an extraordinary step.
Two protest leaders were arrested during the night, accused of inciting to break the law.
On Friday, a third protagonist of the protests was stopped in his car while reporting live to online networks.
The organizers called on their supporters via Twitter to "drop everything and drop everything" and come to Ottawa.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked emergency powers on Monday to be able to take stronger action against the protests.
On Wednesday, police gave the protesters an ultimatum, threatening to arrest them if they didn't evacuate the city center.
On Thursday, the police presence in the parliamentary district increased significantly.
The demonstrations began as protests by truck drivers against mandatory vaccinations when crossing borders.
At the peak of the actions so far, the truckers had blocked several important border crossings to the USA.
As a result, the police arrested dozens of demonstrators this week.
The demonstrations are now generally directed against the corona rules and the government of Prime Minister Trudeau.
The protests have found imitators around the world, including in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Israel and New Zealand.
ok/AFP
