Canada: Police arrest two for infractions during Covid-19 protests
Canadian Police arrested two men in Ottawa for minor infractions committed during the largely peaceful Covid-19 trucker demonstrations, said local police on Wednesday.
Matthew Dorken, 29, of Ottawa, was arrested and charged with mischief under $5000 today by the Ottawa Police Service. On January 29, a man had caused property damage and was not arrested at that time to prevent a wider confrontation.
Andre J Lacasse, 37, of Ottawa was charged on January 30 with bringing a weapon to a public meeting under the Criminal Code of Canada," according to a statement by Ottawa police.
Thousands of truckers gathered in Ottawa on Saturday to protest the recent Covid-19 restrictions, including mandatory vaccines for truckers crossing the US-Canada border. Hundreds of more people joined them, while the protest remained peaceful.
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However, some of the demonstrators were seen dancing on the iconic war memorial, causing Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand and Canada's top soldier, Gen. Wayne Eyre, to denounce the actions.
Despite an extreme cold warning, hundreds of demonstrators streamed into the parliamentary precinct, putting police on high alert for probable violence.
On Sunday, police said they were looking into a number of incidents related to the protest, including people jumping on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the vandalism of Terry Fox's statue on Saturday.
After a large-scale trucker protest, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family left their house in the country's capital and relocated to a secret location.
Meanwhile, PM Trudeau on Monday announced that he had tested positive for Covid-19 and stated he was "feeling fine" and will work remotely this week while adhering to public health guidelines.
Trudeau also encouraged people to get "vaccinated and boosted" on Twitter, writing: “This morning, I tested positive for Covid-19. I’m feeling fine – and I’ll continue to work remotely this week while following public health guidelines."
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-PTC News
