Protesters Agree It's Over in Ottawa

Hundreds of police in riot gear swept through the streets of Canada's besieged capital Saturday, arresting or driving out protesters, towing away their trucks, and finally retaking control of the Ottawa streets in front of the Parliament buildings. With protesters in clear retreat in the largest police operation in the country's history, the end of the three-week protest of COVID-19 restrictions and the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared to be in sight, the AP reports. Interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell said that while some smaller protests continued, "this unlawful occupation is over." Although some protesters vowed to stay on the streets, a prominent organizer said they had "decided to peacefully withdraw."

"We will simply regroup as a grassroots movement," Tom Marazzo said at a press conference. Police had been brought in from across the country to help in the clearance operation, Bell said, adding that 170 people were arrested Friday and Saturday and multiple investigations had been launched because of weapons seizures. He promised to go after protesters who don't disperse with "financial sanctions and criminal charges." By early Saturday afternoon, protesters were gone from Parliament Hill, which had been the heart of the protests. It had been occupied by protesters and their trucks since late last month, turning into a carnival on weekends.

Authorities announced they had used emergency powers to seize 76 bank accounts connected to protesters, totaling roughly $2.5 million US. On Saturday, they closed a bridge into the capital from Quebec to prevent a renewed influx of protesters. Around midday, protest organizers said they had ordered truckers to move away from Parliament Hill, decrying the police actions as "abuses of power." The capital and its paralyzed streets represented the movement's last stronghold, per the AP, after weeks of demonstrations and blockades that shut down border crossings into the US and created one of the most serious tests yet for Trudeau.

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