Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday ruled out the possibility of mobilizing the army to end the protest against health measures and the blockade of the center of the capital, Ottawa, by truckers who oppose compulsory vaccination.
“For the moment, it is not a question of sending the army”indicated the Prime Minister at a press conference, specifying that it was necessary to be “very, very careful before sending the army when Canadian citizens are involved”.
Since Saturday, the Canadian capital has been the scene of a protest movement launched by truckers who oppose compulsory vaccinations to be able to cross the land border between Canada and the United States.
On Saturday, hundreds of trucks blocked downtown streets and about 15,000 people demonstrated outside the federal parliament and Trudeau’s office.
After six days, a few dozen trucks were still in the same area, continuing to honk and block traffic in the heart of the federal capital.
On Wednesday, Ottawa police hinted that the military may need to be mobilized to quell protests.
“Law enforcement must do their job”noted Trudeau, adding that no request had been made to federal authorities.
But above all, he repeated, it is “time for the demonstrators to go home”, because “they are disturbing and harassing the inhabitants” of Ottawa.
The movement’s organizers expect more protesters on the streets of Ottawa next weekend, which police forces fear.
A fundraising campaign on the GoFundMe platform enabled the leaders of the movement to raise more than 10 million Canadian dollars (seven million euros).
Similar demonstrations are also organized in Toronto and Quebec, where caravans of truckers are expected in the coming days.
In Alberta, on the border with the United States, traffic partially resumed on Thursday after several days of total blockage by demonstrators in trucks or tractors.
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