Police move quickly to push 'Freedom Convoy' protesters in Ottawa back
CTV
Enforcement has resumed in Ottawa as police officers from across Canada move in to remove the remaining holdouts of the "Freedom Convoy" demonstration that has occupied downtown Ottawa for three full weeks.
Armed with batons and helmets, and deploying pepper spray at times, police moved quickly Saturday morning to push a line of protesters back from near the Chateau Laurier hotel on Wellington Street. By 10 a.m., the police line had moved to the intersection of Wellington and Metcalfe, a main hub for demonstrators over the past three weeks.
Senior police sources tell CTV News Ottawa's Graham Richardson they expect to "break the back" of the ongoing occupation that has paralyzed downtown Ottawa.
Sources say the financial penalties allowed under the use of the federal Emergencies Act are also being applied and are, in some cases, affecting family members of those involved in the illegal protest in Ottawa.
A line of police emerged from the Chateau Laurier hotel just after 9:15 a.m. and began to move quickly and aggressively to push a line of demonstrators west toward Parliament. Ottawa police said officers are armed with batons and helmets "for their safety."
