Ottawa braces for day two of trucker protests

Ottawa is bracing for the second day of the trucker convoy’s rally against vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions, as the city core surrounding Parliament Hill remains nearly impassible due to protesters, vehicles and trucks.

Some streets remain closed and Ottawa police say they are working to lift areas of gridlock for residents and businesses. The rally has largely remained non-violent, but police say they are planning to keep a heavy presence Sunday.

In a statement released Sunday, Ottawa Police said officers are patrolling the downtown core to help manage the movement of protesters and trucks.

“We are also responding to calls for service throughout the city,” the statement reads. “Do not travel to the downtown core.”

Police said that they while they faced a number of “high-risk situations” on Saturday, those circumstances were “de-escalated” without any arrests being made.

However, not every act of the protesters has been seen with goodwill.

Protesters who jumped on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were unilaterally condemned by top defence officials, with Defence Minister Anita Anand calling their behaviour “beyond reprehensible.”

“I was deeply disturbed by the events yesterday at Parliament Hill and at the war memorial, I take very seriously the fundamental values of democracy, freedom…[but] we must show respect at all times to the individuals who died for our country,” Anand said at a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sunday. “I was deeply disturbed when I saw those images.”

The police statement said that national monuments would be protected and that barricades have been installed to prevent vehicle access to the path in front of the National War Memorial.

Others who adorned a stature commemorating Terry Fox with an upside-down Canadian flag and a sign opposing mandates, were called out by Ottawa mayor Jim Watson, who said their actions were “completely unacceptable.”

Some protesters were seen carrying flags with hateful imagery scrawled on them such as a swastika. Several protesters carried large flags emblazoned with “F*** Trudeau” or wore or carried signs that featured a yellow star.

Elsewhere in the city, Shepherds of Good Hope, a shelter that works with vulnerable and homeless populations in Ottawa reported harassment by members of the convoy at a soup kitchen.

In a series of tweets, the shelter replied to a Twitter account showcasing alleged voice notes and messages from protesters talking about “taking food from the homeless” at the soup kitchen.

“Earlier today, our staff and volunteers experienced harassment from convoy protestors seeking meals from our soup kitchen,” the tweet from the shelter reads. “The individuals were given meals to diffuse the conflict. Management was then informed of the issue and no further meals were given to the protesters.”

“Our soup kitchen is committed to providing meals to people experiencing and at risk of homelessness in Ottawa, this weekend’s difficult events have caused significant strain to our operations at an already difficult time,” the tweet continues.

Mayor Watson said the protesters’ actions were “completely unacceptable” on Twitter in response to the shelter.

“Harassing volunteers and staff at a homeless shelter is a new low and severely damages the credibility of these protesters,” the tweet reads. “Where are the organizers to denounce these outrageous actions?”

The trucker convoy’s GoFundMe page, which raised more than $8 million dollars throughout the course of their journey, has listed an itinerary for Sunday which lists an 11 a.m. EST “Prayer for Unity Service” being held by Mennonite Pastor Henry Hildebrandt at Parliament Hill, followed by a 1 p.m. EST press conference at an undisclosed location.