Canadian police start arresting protesters from Ottawa trucker convoy

Seventy people were arrested and at least 21 vehicles towed away, as police exercised emergency powers which Trudeau invoked on Monday.

Truck horns blared as hundreds of police, some carrying rifles, others with riot shields and gas masks, moved in on a protest camp near Parliament Hill on Friday morning. Scuffles broke out when officers detained a number of demonstrators, leading some away in handcuffs.

A police drone hovered overhead as more officers on horseback and at least three armoured vehicles arrived at the scene.

Police commanders had made it clear on Thursday they were preparing to end the siege and remove more than 300 trucks, camper vans and other vehicles that have blockaded the city since late January.

For the first time since the protests began, police vastly outnumbered the demonstrators, allowing officers to take control of sections of the protest camps. The heavily increased presence allowed them to use greater force, including smashing the windows of vehicles and dragging out drivers.

Some protesters linked arms and refused to move as the police line pushed forward; some sang the national anthem O Canada! and called for non-violence while others struggled and shouted insults at the officers.

Several children were present during the scuffles at the protest camp, despite warnings from police that parents in the convoy should find alternative care in the event they faced arrest.

As police pushed from the south of one camp, protesters scrambled for snow shovels and began creating makeshift barriers.

With temperatures with windchill hovering around -23C (-9.4F), protesters had started their day digging out their vehicles from a heavy overnight snowfall. A bitter wind blew through the protest camps as dozens of protesters huddled round fires and watched warily as the police numbers grew.

Some protesters at the main blockade were defiant, convinced that officers would not move against the encampment.

As the day progressed, more and more trucks gradually left the blockade. Large tow trucks also arrived near the camps as police arrested drivers and took control of vehicles.

The towing industry has long resisted calls to move the trucks, fearing their companies risked being targeted by convoy supporters. Many of the tow drivers in Ottawa on Friday wore masks or balaclavas and the decals of their company trucks were covered.

On Monday, Trudeau became the first prime minister to invoke the Emergencies Act, granting his government sweeping powers to bar gatherings in certain locations, tow away vehicles, suspend driving licenses and freeze bank accounts.

Fringe elements, including far-right activists, nationalist groups and conspiracy theorists, have played a central role in the protests from the start, and officials had expressed concern about the potential for violence.

The protesters represent a small minority in Canada. The country has one of the highest rates of full vaccination anywhere in the world, with more than 80% of people covered.

The protests also have inspired similar convoys in France, New Zealand and the Netherlands.