‘Carnival of chaos’: Ottawa police face growing flak for failure to end protests

Police in Ottawa have warned they will begin breaking up blockades that have gridlocked traffic, angered residents and plunged Canada's capital into a crisis that has rippled throughout the country.

For 20 days, protesters and large semi-trucks have blockaded sections of downtown Ottawa, including Parliament Hill, the seat of the country's government. The protests, which began as a demonstration against public health measures including vaccine mandates, have morphed into a broader anti-government movement as more fringe elements, including far-right and nationalist groups, became a growing presence.

On Wednesday, officers began handing out leaflets warning protesters to leave the area immediately or face the possible loss of their vehicle licenses.

"You must leave the area now," the leaflet read. "Anyone blocking streets, or assisting others in the blocking streets, are committing a criminal offence and you may be arrested."

The warnings by police were largely met with disdain: protesters tore up the leaflets or tossed them on the ground.

On Monday, the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, invoked legislation giving his government sweeping powers to end the "Freedom Convoy" protests. Ottawa's deputy police chief, Steve Bell, said he believes the police now have the necessary reinforcements to bring the blockade to an end.

But the police's failure to prevent the protests in the beginning, and then to rid the city of the trucks over a three-week period, has baffled and angered residents of Ottawa and onlookers across Canada.