Downtown blocked, trucks running 24 hours a day; of. Even those who understand the reasons for the movement now consider it “overwhelming.”
For about two weeks now, the federal capital of Canada has been at the center of a protest movement launched by truckers. Reason, the mandatory vaccinated drivers who make cross-border transport.
Hundreds of trucks occupied the streets of the center and the situation was soon “out of control”, according to the mayor who declared the city a state of emergency.
“They told me: ‘You see, Ottawa is like a dormitory, compared to Montreal or Toronto,'” said Cedric Boyer, a Frenchman who settled in the capital two years ago with a smile and never imagined that “something could happen.” such here “.
On social media, some are calling for “Ottawa to be bored again,” paraphrasing the campaign slogan of Donald Trump, the former Republican president who has spoken out in support of the Canadian truckers movement.
“In a democracy, everyone has the right to their own opinion and the right to express it. “But where the problem begins is when the freedom of some tramples on the freedom of others.” In the city center, many shops and restaurants (which had just been allowed to reopen) remain closed.
Lisa Van Buren, 55, who lives in the northern suburbs, is worried about the “anger” in the country. “There is really anger, we should not underestimate it,” he said.
In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trinto, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson described an “aggressive and hateful occupation of our neighborhoods.” “People live in fear,” he explained, referring to “psychological warfare” from the constant honking.
After some residents went to court, the noise from the honking stopped, but was replaced by the roar of the engines. Residents have filed a class action lawsuit against the organizers of the mobilization, demanding compensation of 10 million Canadian dollars.
“They said they were supported by many. “I have the impression that it is just a noisy minority that makes us lose our patience,” said Patrick Lai, a 30-year-old doctor. “I understand where their opposition comes from, but I, as a health professional, when they say ‘I did my research’ (for vaccines), I feel that we are not talking about the same research,” he added.
Lai is primarily concerned with the closure of the Ambassador Bridge, a vital trade route with the United States. The truckers “do the exact opposite” of what they say they are defending, as the blockade of the bridge is more detrimental to commercial transactions than the mandatory vaccination of drivers, he explained.
“I supported them in the beginning but now, enough, it lasted a long time,” said Cheryl Murphy, a 74-year-old retiree living in the city center. “If Trinto had come to talk to them at the beginning, all this might not have happened,” he said, adding that “it was not right that the prime minister was hiding.”
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