Canadian police arrested more than 100 “Freedom Convoy” demonstrators Friday in a bid to quash the three-week blockade in the capital over COVID-19 restrictions.
Hundreds of officers, some in riot gear and carrying automatic weapons, descended on the clogged streets at the heart of Ottawa in a huge show of force early Friday.
Scuffles broke out as the protesters mostly remained defiant even as lines of heavily armed officers — including some on horseback — slowly pressed them back, pushing some out of the way and arresting others.
Officers were seen leading demonstrators away in handcuffs through the snowy streets as holdout truckers blared their horns.
Most protesters arrested were slapped with mischief charges, and nearly two dozen vehicles had been towed, including all those blocking one of Ottawa’s major streets, authorities said.
One officer suffered a minor injury, but no protesters were hurt, interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell told the Associated Press.
Those arrested included four protest leaders. One received bail, but the others remained jailed.
Authorities would not disclose how many protesters or vehicles remained downtown. All indications were that police would be working into the weekend to clear the area, the Associated Press reported.
The capital represented the movement’s last stronghold after three weeks of demonstrations that have created a political crisis for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
With Post wire services.