Authorities in Ottawa, Canada have arrested nearly 200 Freedom Convoy protesters who refuse to comply with orders to move out and disperse. Police have used pepper spray and stun grenades to get rid of the crowd that had been gathered in the nation's capital for weeks now. They have also towed over 50 vehicles to clear out the streets.
According to the Christian Post, Ottawa Police took to Twitter to report on Sunday evening that they have arrested at least 191 protesters and towed 57 vehicles in the city's downtown area, adding "streets cleared."
The Canadian police department late Sunday also tweeted, "A Coventry Road location previously occupied by an unlawful assembly is now clear. 20 vehicles were towed and a police presence will remain in place to prevent anyone from returning."
CTV News Ottawa reported Sunday that because of the Canadian police's crackdown on Freedom Convoy protesters, the demonstration was moved out of Ottawa after three weeks of protests. Police announced on social media that they will "actively look to identify" Freedom Convoy protesters and "follow up with financial sanctions and criminal charges."
It also warned that they will set up a perimeter in the "area the unlawful protest occupied" to ensure that "the ground gained back is not lost."
CNN reported that there were at least two police-involved incidents on Sunday with the Freedom Convoy protesters. Ottawa's Special Investigations Unit is currently investigating the incidents. According to the report, there was an "interaction" between a Toronto Police Service officer on a horse and a 49 year old woman along Rideau Street and Mackenzie Avenue. The woman reportedly had a "serious injury."
Meanwhile, another incident involved Vancouver Police Department officers discharging Anti-Riot Weapon Enfields or less-lethal firearms at protesters in the area of Sparks Street and Bank Street. No injuries were reported.
On Saturday, Canadian police tweeted that protesters "continue to be aggressive and assaultive on officers" and were "refusing to comply with the orders to move." On Sunday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced that it had frozen the finances of individuals and organizations that were linked to the Freedom Convoy protests.
RCMP froze up to 206 bank and corporate accounts, published the information of 56 entities associated with vehicles, individuals and companies, and shared up to 253 bitcoin addresses with virtual currency exchangers of those involved with Freedom Convoy protesters. Authorities also froze a payment processing account valued at $3.8 million.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had for the first time since its inception, invoked the Emergencies Act to give his administration special powers to deal with the Freedom Convoy protesters. CNN reported that the Canadian leader pointed out how some of the funding that goes into the protests have come from the U.S.
"We see that roughly half of the funding that is flowing to the barricaders here is coming from the United States," Trudeau argued. "The goal of all measures, including financial measures in the Emergencies Act, is to deal with the current threat only, and to get the situation fully under control."
