Thousands protest against Covid-19 mandates in Ottawa

Supporters arrive at Parliament Hill for the Freedom Truck Convoy to protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions in Ottawa, Canada on Saturday. Pic/AFP

Thousands of protesters gathered in Canada's capital on Saturday to protest vaccine mandates, masks and lockdowns. Some parked on the grounds of the National War Memorial and danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, others carried signs and flags with swastikas and some used the statue of Canadian hero Terry Fox to display an anti-vaccine statement, sparking widespread condemnation.

"I am sickened to see protesters dance on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and desecrate the National War Memorial. Generations of Canadians have fought and died for our rights, including free speech, but not this. Those involved should hang their heads in shame," tweeted Gen. Wayne Eyre, Defense Staff chief.

Protestors compared vaccine mandates to fascism, one truck carried a Confederate flag and many carried expletive-laden signs targeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The statue of Fox, a national hero who lost a leg to bone cancer as a youngster, then set off in 1980 on a fundraising trek across Canada, was draped with a upside down Canadian flag with a sign that said "mandate freedom."

A top Parliament security official advised lawmakers to lock their doors amid reports their private homes may be targeted. A convoy of truckers and others prompted police to prepare for violence.

Trudeau has said Canadians are not represented by this "very troubling, small but very vocal minority of Canadians who are lashing out at science, at government, at society, at mandates and public health advice. The prime minister's itinerary for the day usually says he is in Ottawa if he's at home, but on Saturday it said, "National Capital Region" amid a report he's been moved to an undisclosed location. One of Trudeau's kids has COVID-19 and the PM has been isolating and working remotely.

33,21,782 No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours
36,41,91,494 Total no. of cases worldwide
56,31,457 Total no. of deaths worldwide

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