Trudeau: Time for ‘illegal and dangerous’ protests to stop

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday called for an end to the ongoing protests in Ottawa against the country’s COVID-19 mandates and restrictions. 

“It’s high time that these illegal and dangerous activities stop,” Trudeau said while addressing Canadian Parliament, The Associated Press reported.

“They are a threat to our economy and our relationship with trading partners,” he added. “They are a threat to public safety.”

A group of truckers has continued to block downtown streets in Canada’s capital to protest against the COVID-19 mandates and restrictions. The protesters are part of a larger movement of demonstrations that have taken place in recent weeks where truckers blocked U.S.-Canada border crossings, interrupting trade and transportation. 

The AP reported that Ottawa police have begun to set up fences around Parliament and large swaths of police have moved in on the area. 

The police warned people to leave after threatening to arrest remaining protesters on Wednesday. 

“You must leave the area now. Anyone blocking streets, or assisting others in the blocking streets, are committing a criminal offence and you may be arrested,” the Wednesday notice to protesters said.

“We’ve seen people intimidated, harassed and threatened. We’ve seen apartment buildings that have been chained up. We have seen fires set in the corridors. Residents are terrorized,” Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said, according to the AP. 

“And it is absolutely gut-wrenching to see the sense of abandonment and helplessness that they have felt now for weeks,” Mendicino added.

The movement, known as the “freedom convoy,” has grown, but it initially began because truckers opposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates. 

Efforts to end the protests have increased after Trudeau announced Monday he would invoke Canada’s Emergencies Act, which allows the federal government to use a broad range of powers, including military power, to disrupt the movement.