The crackdown on the self-styled Freedom Convoy began in the morning, when hundreds of police descended into the protest zone and began leading demonstrators away in handcuffs
— Police arrested scores of demonstrators and towed away vehicles Friday in Canada's besieged capital, and a stream of trucks started leaving under the pressure, raising authorities' hopes for an end to the three-week protest against the country's COVID-19 restrictions.
Tow truck operators — wearing neon-green ski masks, with their companies' decals taped over on their trucks to conceal their identities — arrived under police escort and started removing the hundreds of big rigs, campers and other vehicles parked shoulder-to-shoulder near Parliament. Police smashed through the door of at least one RV camper before hauling it away.
Many protesters stood their ground in the face of one of the biggest police enforcement actions in Canada's history, with officers drawn from around the country. The capital and its paralyzed streets represented the movement's last stronghold after weeks of demonstrations and blockades that shut down border crossings into the U.S. and created one of the most serious tests yet for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They also shook Canada's reputation for civility, with some blaming America's influence.
Ottawa police made their first move to end the occupation late Thursday with the arrest of two key protest leaders. They also sealed off much of the downtown area to outsiders to prevent them from coming to the aid of the protesters. Ottawa police had made it clear for days that they were preparing to retake the streets. On Friday, even as the operation was underway, police issued another round of warnings via social media and loudspeaker, offering protesters one more chance to leave and avoid arrest.Dan Holland, a protester from London, Ontario, packed up his car as police closed in."I don't want to get beat up by this police," he said.
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