Ottawa protests: conspiracies and accusations of betrayal as police end blockade

When thousands of protesters against Covid restrictions arrived in Ottawa last month, it would have seemed unimaginable that they would take over parts of the Canadian capital with little resistance.

To their own disbelief, the rightwing protesters soon controlled the streets outside parliament, brazenly flouting the law in the belief nothing could or would stop them.

This weekend, however, the blockade ended in incredulity, accusations of betrayal and questions over the future of the protest movement.

Deploying riot squads, mounted units and armed vehicles, police cleared large parts of the area. By Sunday morning, more than 191 had been arrested and 57 vehicles had been towed. Protesters remained in some areas but Wellington Street, in front of Parliament Hill, was empty.

The rapid dismantling of the blockades stood in stark contrast to weeks of bold protest as truckers flouted bylaws, blaring horns at all hours.

But in the waning days of the blockade, amid reports some leaders had their bank accounts frozen, defiance gave way to uncertainty. The night before the police operation, some drivers left the city after trucking companies, fearing ruin, ordered them home.

Still, even as police swarmed the area on Friday, many protesters expressed disbelief that arrests were possible.

Others were told, often by protest leaders and organizers, the police supported their movement.

False rumours of a woman killed by a police horse have spread throughout Canada and into the US, amplified by far-right figures. Celestini worries such misinformation, rapidly spread by live streaming and encrypted chat networks, will be a problem.