Steve Scherer

OTTAWA (Reuters), Several trucks and vehicles blocked Ottawa’s central area for a second time after protestors descended upon the capital on Saturday in support of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, COVID-19 vaccination mandates, and thousands more.

The trucks were still parked near Parliament on Sunday morning. It was one day before lawmakers resume their work from the holiday break. Some truckers stated that they would not move until the mandate was overturned.

Thousands gathered peacefully https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ottawa-set-massive-protest-against-canadas-vaccine-mandates-2022-01-29 on Saturday, though some incidents caused anger. A protester was seen dancing at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The appearance of flags with swastikas on Saturday sparked outrage on social media. Also, a downtown mall was closed because the protestors refused to wear masks.

The rally started out as a protest against a vaccine requirement for cross-border drivers https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-trudeau-slams-fear-mongering-over-covid-vaccine-mandate-truckers-2022-01-24, but turned into a demonstration against the Trudeau government with a strong anti-vaccination streak.

Ottawa police released a statement saying that large crowds of demonstrators remained downtown throughout the night. Officers faced many challenges, such as sporadic truck-truck roadblockages and disruptions to the roads. The high-risk situation was de-escalated without arrest and the matter was resolved.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported that Trudeau and his family fled their Ottawa home Saturday because of security concerns. Trudeau earlier in the week stated that this convoy represents a “small fringe majority” and does not represent Canadians’ views.

Canada has nearly 90% of its cross-border truckers who have received two shots, and Canada is home to almost 91% of those. Canada is now in the middle of a spike in Omicron variant cases that is straining hospitals https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadian-hospitals-strain-omicron-hits-health-workers-2022-01-24.

Speaking at an event in Texas, Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, applauded Canadian protesters for resisting “bravely these lawless mandates”. Last week Tesla (NASDAQ:) Chief Executive Elon Musk also expressed his backing https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/anti-vaccine-canada-truckers-roll-toward-ottawa-praised-by-teslas-musk-2022-01-27.

Canada’s Conservative Party supported the protest https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/beleaguered-trudeau-rival-embraces-trucker-protest-despite-concerns-violence-2022-01-28, which aimed a lot of its anger – in signs and chants – directly at Trudeau. Canada’s right-leaning People’s Party of Canada was also present. It does not hold any seats in the parliament.

Maxime Bernier, leader of People’s Party said that “We are super-spreaders for freedom” in Saturday’s speech.

Canadians took to the social media platform to critique some of the protesters’ behavior.

Michael Cooper (a Conservative lawmaker) was photographed standing next to a Swastika-colored Canadian flag during a television interview. On Twitter, Cooper released a condemnation of the “reprehensible” protester (NYSE:).

Canada’s Chief of Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre denounced the woman who was filmed on the grave of an unknown soldier. He said he was sickened.

Jim Watson, Ottawa’s Mayor, stated that protesters had hounded a soup kitchen and demanded free meals. They claimed they could not order from restaurants because they didn’t wear masks.

Watson stated, “You have the right of protest. You’ve had your protest. Please move on.”