Ottawa Police Arrest 100+ Protesters in Efforts to Break up Freedom Convoy Blockade

Andrea Morris
02-19-2022

Share This article

Ottawa Police issued a stark warning to Freedom Convoy protesters and their supporters: "You must leave" or face the likelihood of arrest.

Officials tweeted Friday evening that more than 100 arrests had taken place and 21 vehicles were towed from the country's capital. Police reported that one person had been detained after throwing a bicycle toward a police horse.

Despite threats of legal consequences, crowds of demonstrators have gathered on the roadways for weeks, protesting the mandated COVID-19 vaccine measures that they are being forced to comply with. 

CNN reports that Canada's House of Commons canceled its meeting Friday, where members planned to discuss the possibility of using the Emergencies Act as a result of the protests. 

The Emergencies Act - which has not been used since Canada passed it in 1988 - can provide the use of the military if the prime minister and the government deem it necessary. No official word has been given on the use of the military at the protests. 

"The situation is ever-changing. The continued presence of vehicles and demonstrators associated with the convoy, alongside police operations, will impact the downtown core," said House Speaker Anthony Rota said in a statement. 

Ottawa police pointed out that they intend to work day and night in an effort to end the protests.

"Even through all the planning, it still shocks and surprises me that we are seeing children put in harm's way in the middle of a demonstration where a police operation is unfolding," Steve Bell, Ottawa's interim police chief, said Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, many of the truckers appear to be unmoved by the warnings from police and the government that they were risking arrest and could see their rigs seized and bank accounts frozen.

"I'm prepared to sit on my (expletive) and watch them hit me with pepper spray," said one of their leaders, Pat King. As for the trucks parked bumper-to-bumper, he said: "There's no tow trucks in Canada that will touch them."

***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

Share This article

About The Author

Andrea Morris
Andrea
Morris

Andrea Morris is a Features Producer for The 700 Club. She came to CBN in 2019 where she worked as a web producer in the news department for three years. Her passion was always to tell human interest stories that would touch the hearts of readers while connecting them with God. She transitioned into her new role with The 700 Club in August 2022.
More