Ottawa police said Friday they’d begin cracking down on protesting truckers occupying part of the city, and they proved it over the weekend by seizing the truckers’ fuel supply.
Sunday evening, “heavily armed” officers converged on a staging area for the protesting truckers and removed fuel that was being stored for the truckers parked in the middle of the city, according to the CBC. The dozens of Ottawa officers were guarded by snipers on the roof of a nearby stadium and hotel as the protesters looked on, shouting “shame!”
🚨🚨UPDATE 🚨🚨
🇨🇦Freedom convoy protesters in Ottawa are carrying around jerrycans in protest to the arrests of individuals with fuel on their person and seizures of fuel and propane last night. pic.twitter.com/miIcVLPBez
— Wayne Kasper (@k3enteprises) February 7, 2022
The City of Ottawa declared a state of emergency earlier Sunday, which will free up police to acquire more resources and bypass “red tape,” Mayor Jim Watson said.
Some truck convoy protestors seem stunned at this display of force, presence of carbine rifles. I will say I did not see police lay hands on anyone. No arrests here- just fuel seizure pic.twitter.com/4robjohvir
— Judy Trinh (@judyatrinh) February 7, 2022
“We’re in the midst of a serious emergency, the most serious emergency our city has ever faced,” he added.
In addition to removing fuel, the Ottawa Police Service said they seized multiple vehicles Sunday evening and that two people were arrested for mischief.
A judge in Ottawa ruled Monday that the truckers in the city could not continue to honk their horns at night in protest, according to the CBC.
“Tooting a horn is not an expression of any great thought I’m aware of,” Justice Hugh McLean said Monday. (RELATED: Man Who Rammed Trucker Protest Pictured Wearing Mask By Himself In Car)
McLean granted an interim injunction to silence the tooting after 11 days of honking kept some Ottawa residents awake at night, according to reports. The judge said that losing the right to beep did not mean that the truckers were losing the right to protest.
The truckers have promised to stay in the capital, blocking traffic and impeding on some government business, until Canada drops COVID-19 restrictions, including a vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the border to and from the U.S. Ninety percent of Canadian truckers are vaccinated, the government has said, but thousands showed up to protest in Ottawa beginning nearly two weeks ago.