Thousands of Canadians have joined the ranks of protesters carrying out COVID curbs | Coronavirus Plague News

Thousands of anti-vaccine workers have gathered in Canadian cities, where peaceful but noisy protests against COVID-19 protests have spread from the capital.

About 5,000 people staged a protest in Ottawa, police said on Saturday, while hundreds more gathered in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, as well as in Quebec City, Fredericton and Winnipeg.

“We are all tired of the responsibility, out of fear, of being in one big prison,” Robert, a Toronto prosecutor who did not give his last name, told Reuters.

“We just want to get back to normal without getting toxins in our veins called vaccines.”

“Freedom Convoy” started as a protest against the need for a Canadian vaccine for cross-border drivers but has become a hotbed of anti-medical and anti-government policies by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – though it is doing little, much of it. established by provincial governments.

For eight days now, protesters have closed in the center of Ottawa.

Police say a well-organized blockade has relied on donations from sympathizers in the United States.

On Saturday, demonstrations erupted in flames of fire and the construction of gymnasiums and children’s homes outside the parliament as they waved Canadian flags and chanted anti-government slogans.

Their “free” songs met with the sound of “go home” by a small group of protesters who were tired of the week-long work at the headquarters.

The atmosphere, however, seemed much more fun – dancing and fireworks – than last week, when several protesters waved Confederate flags with Nazi symbols and clashed with locals.

‘Threat of democracy, madness’

The students set fire to the hotdogs and set fire to the tarmac under the tarps, as two horsemen passed through the town, one carrying the flag in support of former US President Donald Trump.

Trump has spoken out in support of motorists against “difficult left-wing policy of Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with the COVID insurgency”.

Demonstrators are protesting against the city hall as motorists and paramedics continue to protest against the COVID-19 vaccine title in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 5, 2022. [Blair Gable/ Reuters]

Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi, a report from the detention center, said those who took part in Saturday’s protest “are causing a number of problems”.

“Protesters from the right-wing side of Canadian politics want to overthrow the government,” he said. “But there are also anti-vaxxists, religious people, and those who raise issues concerning those on the right and left – such as the power of the pharmaceutical industry, or those affected by human rights. And there were those who had adequate control of the epidemic.”

With the blockade entering its second week, Canadian officials on Saturday again urged protesters to “go home”.

“Opponents in Ottawa have said what they are saying. The whole country has heard what they are saying,” said Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, urging protesters to “go home and negotiate with elected officials.”

At an emergency meeting late Saturday, Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly also called for “extra resources” to end what he called a “siege” of the city.

“This is a threat to democracy, this is a national attack, this is insane,” he said.

But Trudeau, who said the protesters represented “minorities”, earlier this week banned the use of force against motorists in the capital. Meanwhile, demonstrator Jim Torma told AFP reporters that the protesters would not back down.

“She will not hide it from us,” Torma said. “We will live [politicians’] faces a long-term “pressure to end medical bans.

‘Yes’

But Rattansi Al Jazeera says Canadian officials, as well as protest organizers, are facing “difficult” future issues.

“Elections show that many Canadians are tired of the way the epidemic is affecting government and state officials. But they are also showing great support for the services and medical services that are being developed to reduce the health crisis,” he said. “As a result, it’s hard to see how it all ends.”

Demonstrators gather to protest against the COVID-19 vaccine and protests in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on February 5, 2022. [Geoff Robins/ AFP]

Meanwhile, police in some Canadian cities have learned something about the Ottawa case and have developed measures to protect vital equipment, such as key corridors and hospitals, as well as prevent potential violence.

In Toronto, police have cordoned off city streets, barring protesters from approaching the district legislature, located near five major hospitals.

Hundreds of protesters, however, gathered in southern Ontario, chanting “liberte” in reggae voices over loudspeakers, with placards saying, “Freedom.”

Demonstrations were also held in Quebec City, Fredericton and Winnipeg, and meetings were also organized in Regina, Edmonton, Vancouver, Victoria and across the US border in Coutts, Alta.

Freedom Convoy launched off the Pacific coast of Canada at the end of January and took sponsors on a long trip to the capital – as well as millions of dollars in fundraising online. GoFundMe has been eliminated Late Friday after receiving reports of “violence and illegal activities”.

The group raised about $ 10.1m Canadian dollars ($ 8m).

The site initially said it would reimburse any claims made by February 19 and would pay the balance to accredited agencies, but on Saturday, GoFundMe said it would refund all the money only.

Residents of Ottawa, meanwhile, have been rocked by protests by protesters demanding $ 10m ($ 8m) from the developers.

“Motorists have been threatening us for seven, eight days now,” a Saffron Binder university student told AFP. “The work must end.”