Eva Deschamps / February 6, 2022
Ottawa, Toronto, Quebec City: Opponents of Canada's health measures, some of whom have been occupying the downtown core of the nation's capital for the past week, began rallying Saturday to demand that the restrictions be lifted.
This protest, which started as a movement of truckers in the west of the country, has turned into an occupation of Ottawa: for the past eight days, the streets in front of Parliament and under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office have been occupied by dozens of trucks and protesters.
On Saturday morning, the first demonstrators arrived in the capital in the freezing cold to gather around campfires, waving Canadian flags and anti-government signs, in a more festive atmosphere than last Saturday, when Nazi flags were seen.
Some have begun setting up makeshift shelters - temperatures could drop to -30° C - and have vowed not to move until restrictions are lifted.
Up to 2,000 people could join the truckers already present in the streets of Ottawa, according to the police, who also expect a thousand counter-demonstrators. The organizers assured AFP that they were expecting tens of thousands of people.