Canadian cops arrest 7 people, tow 24 vehicles in latest anti-vax mandate protests

Seven people were arrested and 24 vehicles were towed Friday night at protests against vaccine mandates in the Canadian capital of Ottawa.

Cops in the city said they worked hard to avoid a repeat of the “Freedom Convoy” demonstrations that snarled downtown Ottawa in February.

“There have been no reported injuries, and police remain in full control of city streets,” Ottawa police said Friday night in a statement. Protests were expected to continue Saturday.

The demonstrators didn’t have a specific target for their ire, but many were at the Freedom Convoy protests in February. This time protesters gathered under the banner of “Rolling Thunder.”

“It’s mostly like a parade to honor (Freedom Convoy members) for what they have done, they stood up for the right causes,” a protester who identified himself only as Mario told Canadian Press.

Ottawa police cordoned off areas of the city, leading to physical shoving matches as demonstrators attempted to enter those areas.

The cops did not say exactly what the seven arrestees had been charged with. They mentioned that some people cited during the Freedom Convoy protests had been ordered to stay away from Ottawa and would be charged with violating those orders if they returned for Rolling Thunder.

During the height of the Freedom Convoy protests, opinion polls found that a majority of Canadians supported vaccination mandates.

With News Wire Services