Police raid on Ottawa protest camp is strongest show of enforcement yet

In its most obvious display of enforcement against the anti-pandemic rule demonstration that arrived in Ottawa 10 days ago, dozens of heavily armed police officers descended Sunday night on the baseball stadium parking lot that's been serving as a staging area for the protesters in the downtown core.

Police removed vehicles and at least one tanker of fuel that was stored at the Coventry Road lot. Ottawa police later announced they had arrested two people at the site, with other arrests elsewhere that day linked to protest activity.

About 10 protesters in reflective vests stood firm in front of fuel supplies that were stored toward the southern end of the lot.

Snipers stood guard on the roof of the stadium and hotel on either side of the parking lot as police moved through the camp.

Protesters yelled "Shame, shame" and "On the wrong side of history" at the officers. As police moved in to act, one protester was heard saying "This can't end well." There have been no reports of injuries. 

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning Monday that the tanker that was removed held about 3,500 litres of fuel.

There is still believed to be more fuel and other supplies such as food stored at the parking lot, which volunteers have been shuttling to the protesters jamming the so-called "red zone" around Parliament Hill.

Ottawa police said Sunday they would be stopping these deliveries. Protesters say they plan to continue to bring cans of fuel downtown.

Organizers say they're trying to annoy residents and politicians into accepting their goals, whether that's ending all COVID-19 rules across Canada or having all senators and the Governor General resign.

They're no longer taking fuel to protesters in Confederation Park across from city hall, which police said has been cleared and fenced off. A wooden pop-up restaurant was moved from the park to the Coventry lot earlier Sunday.

Police have conceded, in retrospect, allowing trucks to park at the city-owned RCGT Park east of downtown was a key error in what they call an unprecedented protest.

When they offered the lot to the demonstrators more than a week ago, the idea was to get the trucks out of downtown. But protesters soon organized themselves into a supply camp, complete with large tents for food and recently, the addition of three working saunas.

The dramatic police raid will surely be one of many issues discussed at the emergency council meeting set for 1 p.m. ET Monday to address, according to the agenda, the "impact of the truck convoy demonstration of the city's residents and businesses."

A number of councillors have been vocal in their criticism that the police need to be shown to be enforcing the law and Sunday night's clear show of power will likely be well-received.