Ottawa declares a state of emergency over truckers' growing anti-government protests
The so-called "Freedom Convoy" that arrived in Ottawa more than a week ago to protest the Canadian government's vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers has been honking horns, blocking downtown streets and disturbing residential neighborhoods.
They faced little pushback from law enforcement until this weekend, when officials in the Canadian capital ramped up their response by ticketing protesters, confiscating their fuel and declaring a state of emergency.
Mayor Jim Watson told the CBC that the emergency declaration will help police and city staff get the resources they need faster.
"We're in the midst of a serious emergency, the most serious emergency our city has ever faced, and we need to cut the red tape to get these supplies available to our police officers and to our public works staff," he said.
Police have seemed largely unprepared to deal with the unusual protest, NPR's Emma Jacobs from her base in Montreal on Monday (between reporting trips to Ottawa). Authorities have largely.
