On day 16 of the Truckers for Freedom Convoy, the Ottawa Police Chief made a request for 1800 additional staff, an Ottawa judge ordered a ten-day halt to the truckers’ honking and protesters started carrying around empty gas cans to flout the police’s confiscation efforts.
Monday began with a special meeting of Ottawa City Council where police chief Peter Sloly said he wanted to double his police force to “turn up the heat” on the truckers’ protest.
The same meeting saw Ottawa mayor Jim Watson accuse the truckers of a weekend arson that police had barely begun to investigate, saying it was “a horrific story that clearly demonstrates the malicious intent of the protesters occupying our city.”
Meanwhile, an Ottawa judge granted a ten-day injunction against the truckers using their horns downtown. The interim order concerned a $10-million class action lawsuit launched against the convoy by a 21 year-old government worker who claimed to have been subjected to “trauma” by the noise.
After reports Sunday night that police had begun confiscating fuel and arresting people who tried to bring “material supports” to the truckers, numerous protesters were spotted on Monday carrying jerry cans around the protest site.
One protester appeared to be arrested for mischief for carrying an empty jerry can.
Another protester can be heard offering a police officer a drink from his, saying it was “Kool-ade.”
Meanwhile on Parliament Hill, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emerged from hiding for the first time since the convoy began to address the House of Commons during an emergency debate over the protests.
“Individuals are trying to blockade our economy, our democracy, and our fellow citizens’ daily lives—It has to stop,” Trudeau said.
By the time this article was published, the new Givesendgo in support of the truckers had reached USD $5,431,724
