Politics

Ottawa Police Arrest ‘Several’ People For Bringing Gas To ‘Freedom Convoy’ Protesters

(Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Mecca Fowler Contributor
Font Size:

Ottawa police arrested “several” people over the weekend for delivering gas to Canadian “Freedom Convoy” protesters.

Ottawa Deputy Police Chief Steve Bell told CTV News that the police have “really focused and targeted on removing the access of gasoline to the area” downtown and “had several seizures and several arrests related to that.” The “Freedom Convoy,” which has gathered in capital city for over a week, was organized in protest against the Canadian government’s mandate that truckers be vaccinated against COVID-19 to cross the U.S.-Canada border, Ottawa Citizen reported.

Armed police officers confiscated over 800 gallons of fuel meant to supply the truckers from a parking lot outside Ottawa Baseball Stadium on Sunday night, Newsweek reported.

The protest has caused disturbances such as honking horns and blocked-off streets for some residents, according to NPR. Police in Ottawa stepped up issuing tickets and seizing gasoline from protesters over the weekend, the outlet reported. (RELATED: GoFundMe Nukes Canadian Trucker Fundraiser, Refuses To Distribute Donations)

Demands for the protesters to leave the city have intensified as some have trashed property and threatened reporters and officials. One organizer of the demonstrations said protesting will continue until there is a “clear plan” for the Canadian government ending COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other pandemic-related restrictions.

Ottawa declared a state of emergency Sunday as the protest moved into its 11th day of unrest, The New York Times reported. American truckers are planning a similar style-protest.