TORONTO (AP) – In a scene at odds with Canadians’ reputation for kindness and rule-following, thousands of protesters protesting vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions descended on the capital over the weekend, killing them intentionally blocked traffic around Parliament Hill.
Some urinated and parked at the National War Memorial. One danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Some carried placards and flags with swastikas.
In the wake of Canada’s largest pandemic protest to date, protesters have found little sympathy in a country where more than 80% is vaccinated. Many people were outraged by some of the rude behavior.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the Ottawa protesters a “fringe minority” and said they see the proliferation of “disinformation and misinformation online, conspiracy theorists, about microchips, about God knows what else is going on with the tinfoil hats.”
The organizers, including one who has embraced white supremacist views, had raised millions for the nationwide “freedom truck convoy” against vaccine mandates. It received support from former US President Donald Trump and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk.
Trudeau and his family were moved to an undisclosed location during the protest. (Two of his children tested positive for COVID-19, and a test Monday showed he was also infected. He said he’s doing well and working remotely.)
A smaller but still significant number of protesters remained on the streets on Tuesday.
“You had your 15 minutes. Time to move on and give our city back to our citizens,” said Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson.
Those who stayed said they will not leave until all vaccine mandates and other restrictions are gone. They are calling for the overthrow of the Trudeau government, although he is responsible for some of the measures, most of which have been taken by provincial governments.
Protester Michelle Kloet, 47, of Canmore, Alberta, attempted to clean up some of the clutter left behind by picking up empty liquor bottles and beer cans. She said she was there because “it’s time for Canada and the rest of the world to find other ways to deal with this virus.”
During the demonstration, the statue of Terry Fox, a national hero who lost a leg to bone cancer as a child and set out on a fundraising drive across Canada in 1980, was draped with an upturned Canadian flag and a sign that read “Mandate Freedom.”
“My children were shocked. Like all Canadian youth, they grew up with Terry Fox as a hero,” said Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. “This is not the Canada we want to be. And I do believe with pride, and I know, this is not what Canada is.”
Ontario Conservative Prime Minister Doug Ford said he was “extremely disturbed” to see people “desecrating our most sacred monuments and brandishing swastikas and other symbols of hatred and bigotry”.
The eruption was seen as so strange to Canada that an American scientist felt compelled to apologize for what he portrayed as America’s influence.
“Canada gave us kindness, tolerance, poutine and hockey, and in turn we exported this horrible fake health freedom movement linked to far right extremism that caused so much senseless loss of life in America and could now do the same there,” tweeted Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. “Our apologies.”
Many of the protesters refused to wear masks in hotels, shopping malls and supermarkets. A homeless shelter reported that protesters had demanded it feed them.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said several investigations are underway and a tip line has been set up for hate crimes, threats and attacks in connection with the demonstration. Sloly said one person had been arrested in connection with the protest.
Tim Abray, a Ph.D. candidate, said he was attacked by “so-called freedom fighters” while taking pictures of the protest in his neighborhood.
The most visible contingent of protesters were truck drivers who parked their large platforms on Parliament Hill, though they were a minority of the thousands who showed up.
Some truck drivers protested a rule that came into effect on Jan. 15 requiring those entering Canada to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The US has imposed the same requirement on incoming truck drivers, so it wouldn’t make much difference if Canada lifted its rule.
Some conservative opposition lawmakers attended the protest, and conservative party leader Erin O’Toole, who is facing an uprising among his lawmakers, met with some truck drivers.
Phil Haggart, a counter-protester, said he was there to show there are voices for public health measures.
“Masks are important, vaccines are important and mandates are only important because we need them to stay alive and not fill our hospitals,” he said.
A wave of the highly contagious omicron strain has led to record cases and lockdowns in Canada’s most populous provinces, Ontario and Quebec. But restaurants reopened Monday at a 50% capacity and vaccine mandates imposed by provincial governments remain in effect.
Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said Canada’s rabbit hole of misinformation isn’t as deep as it is in the US for many reasons, including less political polarization north of the border.
“This leads to much less sympathy or tolerance for unvaccinated among Canadians. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis couldn’t get very far in Canada. A Donald Trump would be shunned even in Conservative Party circles,” Wiseman said.
He added: “The protesters in Ottawa have not supported their cause as the demonstration continues.”