Escuche esta historia
--:--
5:13
Anti-Vaccine Truckers Protest in Canada Blocks Main Passage to US
Around twenty truck drivers have been arrested in Ottawa, Canada, while similar protests are taking place in New Zealand and Australia.
Demonstrations by hundreds of drivers in Canada against the mandatory coronavirus vaccine for cross-border transfers have kept Ottawa almost entirely paralyzed for the tenth day in a row.
At the beginning of this week, the protest began to go to the border crossing with the United States, after having germinated in other cities in Canada, such as Quebec and Toronto.
At the same time, in Australia, New Zealand and France, radical anti-vaccine groups have held rallies in support of Canadian drivers.
The blockade that Ottawa is suffering, which has resulted in 20 detainees, has been magnified in recent hours and is threatening the entry of the most needed products into the country.
The so-called "Freedom Caravan" made up of trucks and other vehicles has been blocking the main border access between Canada and the United States since Monday.
Vehicles block traffic on the Ambassador Bridge that connects the city of Detroit, Michigan in the United States with Windsor, Ontario in Canada.
75% of Canadian exports go to the United States with an average of 8,000 trucks passing through this border crossing that is 750 kilometers from Ottawa.
It is estimated that more than 40,000 people and 350 million dollars in products pass through it daily.
Although they have partially opened the passage from Canada, the Michigan Department of Transportation ordered the closure of the US border.
At hours of the night of Tuesday, the Windsor authorities, on their Twitter reported that only a limited number of trucks could go to the United States through that border crossing.
City police have advised U.S.-bound drivers to take alternate routes, such as the Blue Water Pass to Sarnia, which connects Ontario to Port Huron in Michigan.
The Lower House of Canada called an emergency session on Monday where the country's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, declared that, after more than a week of protests by the transport union, these demonstrations should stop.
Trudeau demanded carriers and other anti-vaccine protesters to return home. The minister assured that these protests are "blocking" democracy and the economy of Canada.
Polling organizations through a survey carried out ensure that little more than 60% of Canadians reject these demonstrations.
After the blockade of the passage to the United States, Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Security, affirmed that the authorities are working to guarantee the passage of supplies through the Ambassador Bridge.
Ottawa Police Deputy Chief Steve Bell told a news conference that police officers have removed many vehicles from the protest.
Bell highlighted that in at least 30% of the more than 400 vehicles counted, the exposure of minors to extreme cold in the middle of winter, to an "abusive" noise from the horns and the lack of cleanliness and personal hygiene have been verified..
disgruntled citizens
While the hundreds of vehicles continue to block traffic in the capital, the inhabitants of the city center have expressed their dissatisfaction with the inconvenience caused by the demonstration.
Residents of the city have denounced that the thousands of protesters who flocked to the center over the weekend have forced the shops to close. A citizen interviewed by a local media outlet said she felt like a "hostage ".
Due to the large number of complaints due to the constant noise of the trucks, an Ottawa judge on Monday ruled that drivers should stop touching them for ten days.
This week, the truckers' demonstration has received support outside its borders, cities such as Wellington in New Zealand and Canberra in Australia, have started demonstrations also called "freedom caravans".
Three people have been arrested in the New Zealand city.
On the other hand, in France, approximately 200 people left Nice with the intention of reaching Paris and then Brussels, in protest against the restrictions against the pandemic.
On January 29, the protest began with at least 3,000 carriers from Canada heading to the capital. Days later, around 15,000 people joined the protest.
Radical members of far-right organizations have expressed their support for this demonstration.
On January 15, the Canadian government declared that it would be mandatory for cross-border shippers to present their vaccination plan against covid-19.
In turn, for those foreign carriers who do not have the vaccine, they will not be able to enter the country. In the United States they carried out the same measure on January 22.
Back then, Trudeau stressed that the application of these measures is the best way to keep new infections under control in relation to those who travel for work.
The Alliance of Canadian Truckers Opposing Anti-Vaccine Groups estimates that at least 16,000 drivers who constantly travel to US soil do not have the vaccine.
