OTTAWA, Jan 30 (Reuters) – Dozens of trucks and other
vehicles blocked the downtown area of Ottawa for a second day
after thousands descended on Canada’s capital city on Saturday
to protest against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and COVID-19
vaccine mandates.

Trucks remained parked on the streets near parliament on
Sunday, a day before lawmakers are due to resume work after the
holiday break. Hundreds of protesters were out on Sunday, too.
Some truckers said they will not leave until the mandate is
overturned.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking at a rally in
Texas on Saturday, praised the Canadian protesters for
“resisting bravely these lawless mandates,” in a sign the
politicization of the pandemic seen mostly south of the border
has spread north.

In solidarity with the Ottawa rally, truckers and protesters
have blocked a Canada-U.S. border crossing in southern Alberta,
police said on Twitter.

In Ottawa, thousands gathered peacefully https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ottawa-set-massive-protest-against-canadas-vaccine-mandates-2022-01-29
on Saturday and there were no arrests, though several incidents
are now being investigated by police.

“Several criminal investigations are underway,” Ottawa
police said on Twitter, including for the “desecration of the
National War Memorial” and “threatening/illegal/intimidating
behavior to police/city workers and other individuals.”

One protester was filmed dancing on the war memorial – the
tomb of the unknown soldier – and flags bearing swastikas were
seen in the crowd. A downtown mall shut down because protesters
refused to wear masks.

Michael Cooper, a Conservative lawmaker who handed out
coffee at the protest, was pictured standing near a Canadian
flag bearing a Swastika during a TV interview. He later released
a statement condemning the “reprehensible” protester on Twitter.

Canada’s top soldier, Chief of the Defence Staff General
Wayne Eyre, denounced a woman filmed dancing on the tomb of the
unknown soldier, saying he was “sickened.”

“We do not condone any disrespectful behavior,” the official
Facebook page for the rally said on Saturday.

The demonstration started out as a protest against a vaccine
requirement for cross-border drivers https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-trudeau-slams-fear-mongering-over-covid-vaccine-mandate-truckers-2022-01-24,
but turned into a demonstration against the Trudeau government
with a strong anti-vaccination streak.

Due to security concerns, Trudeau and his family left their
downtown Ottawa home on Saturday. Earlier this week Trudeau said
the convoy represented a “small fringe minority” who do not
represent the views of Canadians.

About 90% of Canada’s cross-border truckers and almost 79%
of the population has had two COVID-19 vaccine shots. Canada is
now in the middle of a spike in Omicron variant cases that is
straining hospitals https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadian-hospitals-strain-omicron-hits-health-workers-2022-01-24.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra ruled out reversing any of
the mandates on Sunday.

“Vaccines are our best way to protect ourselves and our
economy from COVID-19,” Alghabra said in an interview with the
CanaBC. “It is unacceptable to see the swastika being flown
anywhere,” he added.

Canada’s Conservative Party supported the protest https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/beleaguered-trudeau-rival-embraces-trucker-protest-despite-concerns-violence-2022-01-28,
which aimed a lot of its anger – in signs and chants – directly
at Trudeau. The right-wing People’s Party of Canada, which holds
no seats in parliament, turned out at the rally.

“We are super-spreaders of freedom,” People’s Party leader
Maxime Bernier said in a speech on Saturday.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said some protesters had harassed a
soup kitchen, demanding free meals because their refusal to wear
masks meant they were not to order in restaurants, according to
an interview with the CBC.

“You have the right to protest, you’ve had your protest,
please move on,” Watson said.
(Reporting by Steve Scherer
Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)