Anna Mehler Paperny, Ismail Shakil

(Reuters) – Canadian authorities have been scrambling for ways to end the 12-day-old occupation of Ottawa’s central district. They hope a mixture of traffic tickets, criminal charges and losing fuel access will bring an end to the blockades.

According to police, the protestors in Ottawa are decreasing in number against COVID-19-fighting public health policies. They say this is despite tougher policing, and a 10-day order to stop honking. Some residents claim that they were kept awake by incessant noise.

However, many remaining protestors in Ottawa were “determined and volatile,” Steve Bell, deputy chief of police said Tuesday.

Touted at first as a “Freedom Convoy” opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border truckers mirrored by the U.S. government, the protest is about much more. Protesters have raised many grievances about COVID-19, carbon tax, and other laws.

Demonstrators have taken to the streets of other cities and blocked for almost a whole day the Ambassador Bridge connecting Canada and America, one the busiest crossings across the continent.

While protesters claim they are peaceful, some held Confederate Flags or Swastikas during the early stages of occupation. Some Ottawa residents claim they were harassed and attacked. Police are investigating a attempted arson attack on a downtown apartment block.

Over 1,300 tickets have been issued and 23 were arrested by police officers.

Police were criticized for initially being permissive in their handling of the blockade. However, they started to fight back Sunday night by seizing thousands of liters and removing an oil tanker truck.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police, and other officers were added to their ranks. The police stated that more reinforcements are needed, both for officers and those with licensing expertise.

Canadians have generally followed the government’s guidelines for health, with 79% receiving two doses COVID-19 vaccinations. According to a recent survey, 62% Canadians opposed the Freedom Convoy.

Some provinces have begun lifting COVID-19 limitations that they had put in place last year to counter the transmissible Omicron variant.