Steve Scherer

OTTAWA, Reuters – Canadian police are making a last push to rid the capital of protestors who drove and parked on its streets for three weeks in order to demonstrate against the pandemic restrictions.

Since Friday’s protest, police have arrested 170 people and tow 53 cars. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had to use rare emergency powers to stop the violence.

The police used pepper sprays and stungrenades on Saturday to expel the remaining protestors, clearing the majority of the space in front of Parliament and near the office of the prime minister.

There are pockets of protesters who have been enslaved for years. According to police, some people who were arrested on Saturday were covered in body armor.

“This operation still moves forward. It’s not over. We will need to take even longer before we reach our goals,” Ottawa Interim Police chief Steve Bell declared on Saturday.

The protesters wanted to stop cross-border COVID-19 vaccination mandates for truck driver drivers. However, the blockade quickly turned into a demonstration against Trudeau as well as the government.

Trudeau used emergency powers Monday to increase his government’s ability to stop protests. He also had broad power to suspend the accounts and freeze bank accounts of people suspected of being behind the blockades.

“Police are proceeding in a responsible and methodical manner through the streets. Although this is encouraging, the work is still not done,” Marco Mendicino, Public Safety Minister, stated on Saturday.

Bell announced that police have filmed protesters and will hold them accountable.

We will pursue criminal and financial charges and sanctions against you to find out who you are. … The investigation will continue for many months.”