Ottawa police issue new warning amid convoy blockade: ‘leave the area now’
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The latest on protests against COVID-19 measures in Ottawa and beyond
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People still participating in the so-called "
Freedom Convoy" blockade of downtown Ottawa are being warned by police to "leave the area now" as questions heat up about when police will act to remove the demonstrators who have paralyzed the nation's capital for 20 days.
© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang A protester yells “freedom” towards a person who attempted to stick a paper sign on a truck criticizing the so called “Freedom Convoy,” a protest against COVID-19 measures that has grown into a broader anti-government protest, on its 18th day, in Ottawa, on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
"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. You must immediately cease further unlawful activity or you will face charges," reads a notice issued by Ottawa police on Wednesday morning.
"The people of Ottawa are being denied the lawful use, enjoyment and operation of their property and you are causing businesses to close. That is mischief under the Criminal Code."
The federal government invoked the never-before-used
Emergencies Act on Monday amid intense frustration and anger among Ottawa residents over police handling of the convoy so far.
Peter Sloly resigned as chief of the Ottawa Police Service on Tuesday, and federal officials have for days offered increasingly clear rhetoric that the blockades are now "illegal," and that police must end them.
Yet demonstrators have remained defiant in the face of the Emergencies Act, with hundreds still parked in blockades along residential streets of downtown Ottawa and vowing to remain.
Video: Trucker protests: Ottawa police waiting on ‘official details’ about Emergencies Act enforcement before acting: deputy chief (Global News)
Ottawa convoy supporters dismiss authority of Emergencies Act, no plans to leave
The convoy organizers originally said they wanted to force elected officials out and force an end to all public health measures in place to limit the spread of COVID-19, most of which are under provincial -- not federal -- jurisdiction.
Organizers later removed references to calls to remove elected officials from their websites, and have since claimed they never called for such action.
Some of the convoy organizers have ties to white nationalism and histories of racist rhetoric.
In the order invoking the Emergencies Act, the federal government explicitly warned about fears of "serious violence" from blockade participants motivated by political or ideological goals.
While the order did not use the word "terrorism," that language mirrors the Criminal Code definition of terrorist activity, and convoy organizers removed a journalist from a press conference this week for asking whether they are aware of any firearms among participants.
— with files from Global's Abigail Bimman.