Credit, Reuters
Dozens of truckers arrived in Ottawa over the weekend as part of a movement called the ‘freedom train’
A protest against the requirement of vaccine passports for truckers crossing the Canada-US border has paralyzed Ottawa for the second day in a row.
Thousands of protesters joined the so-called “freedom train” in the Canadian capital.
Police have launched investigations after several incidents were reported, including the appearance of swastika flags and images of a woman dancing at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a monument honoring Canadian combatants who took part in wars past.
Defense Minister Anita Anand said the incidents were “beyond reprehensible”.
ottawa police said in a Twitter message that “several” investigations are underway into the “desecration” of several monuments in the capital. The local authority also said it was investigating “threatening/illegal/intimidating behavior towards police/city employees and others and damage to a city vehicle”.
Truckers blocked the streets around Canada’s Parliament building and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said some protesters harassed workers at a voluntary food service, demanding free meals after they were banned from restaurants for refusing to comply with the requirement to wear masks indoors.
On Saturday (29/1), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family also left their residence in Ottawa for security reasons.
About 90% of the 120,000 truckers crossing Canadian borders are already vaccinated, a number similar to that seen in the rest of the country’s adult population.
The protest grew and went beyond the call to end the requirement for vaccination passports specifically at borders. Many are protesting to end the need to show this document across the country.
Trudeau called the protesters a “minority” at a press conference earlier this week.
Conservative leader Erin O’Toole met with protest officials and spoke out in favor of the right to peaceful protest, but criticized “individuals who desecrated” memorials and monuments in Ottawa.
The Trudeau government introduced the vaccine passport on January 15. The new rule requires unvaccinated Canadian truckers to quarantine once they cross the border to return home.
The United States also recently said that foreign truckers must show proof of vaccination to enter the country.
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