Canada: Police arrest 23, issue 1,300 tickets during truckers' occupation of capital

Law enforcement agencies in Ottawa have made 23 arrests and issued more than 1,300 tickets related to the anti-mandate and anti-government protests in Canada’s capital, the municipal police service said.

“There have been 23 arrests in relation to criminal charges,” Ottawa Police Service (OPS) said in a press release on Tuesday.

The charges include mischief, resisting arrest, breach of probation among other infractions, the statement said.

In addition, police officers have issued more than 1,300 tickets for a variety of infractions, such as excessive noise, use of fireworks and red light violations, the statement said.

An additional 85 investigations are ongoing, the statement also said.

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Local officials have requested additional law enforcement resources to deal with the ongoing protests that have remained peaceful. While federal and provincial authorities have approved the deployment of 300 Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and hundreds of Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers, local officials say an additional 1,800 officers are needed to restore order in the capital.

The wave of protests across Canada began in January, with tens of thousands of truckers and other demonstrators converging on Ottawa to express strong opposition to vaccine mandates. The protest has since evolved into an anti-government demonstration, with various groups uniting in opposition to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

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