Canadian truckers protest with a convoy of big rigs against vaccine mandates and Covid-19 measures in Ottawa, Canada on January 31, 2022. ( Kadri Mohamed - Anadolu Agency )
TRENTON, Canada
As the Canadian capital of Ottawa entered its third day of gridlock on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the actions of some of the thousands of protesters and vowed not to bow to their demands.
At a press conference carried live on new sites, he strongly condemned the actions of those who danced on the War Memorial, stuck a baseball cap on the statue of Canadian hero Terry Fox, waved racist flags like the Nazi swastika and US Confederate flag, and tried to get free meals from a shelter serving the homeless. They also were rude and used foul language and refused to wear facial masks as per health regulations.
"We are not intimidated by those who hurl insults and abuse," Trudeau said. "Canadians were shocked and frankly disgusted by the behavior of some people protesting in our nation's capital."
About 10,000 people arrived in Ottawa on Saturday and parked 200-to-300 tractor trailer trucks and other vehicles near Parliament Hill, bringing the city of one million people to a virtual standstill. Businesses were closed, transit buses were pulled from service and others could not go to work. The protesters want an end to all health regulations on COVID-19, such as the vaccine mandate for truckers.
“I want to be very clear," Trudeau said. "We won't give in to those who fly racist flags. We won't cave to those who engage in vandalism or dishonor the memory of our veterans... and steal food from the homeless.”
Trudeau said he was "not going anywhere near" the protesters and would not negotiate with them. He did not say anything about removing the protesters. The mayor of Ottawa said what to do about the protesters was the decision of the city police force and the chief was mulling over what action to take.
The prime minister also confirmed that he and two of his children had tested positive for COVID and were self-isolating. He said he felt "fine."
While Trudeau strongly condemned the protest, some milked and mocked the situation. The fake news website Genesius Times ran a map of North America that replaced Canada with Truckistan, adding that "The United Nations have officially recognized the new country of Truckistan...."
The story under the headline "Breaking: UN officially recognizes the new country of 'Truckistan'" went viral on social media.
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