Thousands protest vaccine mandates, Covid restrictions in Canada

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Hundreds of trucks and thousands of protesters blocked the streets toward downtown Ottawa on Saturday to protest the government's vaccine mandates required to cross the Canada-US border.</p>
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The protest is part of a self-titled "Freedom Convoy 2022", which started out as a rally of truckers against the requirement that Canadian truck drivers crossing the border into the US be fully vaccinated as of mid-January, Xinhua news agency reported.<br />
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After being joined by thousands of other protesters, it then turned into a demonstration against the government's overall restrictive measures during the Covid-19 pandemic.<br />
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The crowd gathered around the Parliament Hill, waving flags and banners and chanting slogans against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is self-isolating after one of his children tested positive for the novel coronavirus.<br />
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The increasing number of protesters prompted police to prepare for the possibility of violence. As of Saturday night, no injuries or deaths were reported.<br />
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Parliament members were advised by the head of House of Commons security, Sergeant-at-Arms Patrick McDonell, to "go somewhere else" if a demonstration occurred at their personal residences or constituency offices, and to "refrain from posting anything related to the demonstration on social media."</p>