Ottawa police forcibly evicted many truck drivers and other anti-vaccine protesters who had shut down the center of the Canadian capital for more than three weeks.

used proxies pepper spray, hand grenades Dazzers and batons.

The images, which have been circulated around the world, show violent struggles between hundreds of protesters and agents, some on horseback.

Those who resisted were thrown to the ground and tied from behind.

More than 170 people were arrested and 38 vehicles were seized two days after the attacks.

Police confirmed, Sunday, that the operation in Ottawa was still ongoing and avoided speculating when it might end.

Acting Police Chief Steve Bell explained that some protesters had moved from Parliament House – the core of the protest – to nearby neighborhoods and confirmed that these areas would also be cleared.

it’s about One of the largest police operations in Canadian history.

Police confirmed on Twitter that they had used tear gas against some protesters “in an attempt to stop the aggressive behaviour, and for the safety of the officers”.

The crackdown on the so-called Freedom Convoy began on Friday morning when hundreds of police officers, some with riot batons, descended on the protesters’ camp in downtown Ottawa.

Many of those present refused to leave. Form a line in front of approaching customers and United in arms sang the national anthem“Hey Canada.”

The police said that Many of the detainees were wearing bulletproof vestsFirecrackers and smoke bombs.

Some of them were accused of throwing tear gas canisters at the officers.

Police also criticized protesters for bringing children to an illegal demonstration, which in Canada can carry anywhere from a fine to five years in prison.

Police said the investigation into the protests would continue over the next few months.

The agents acted under the emergency law, which was put into effect on Monday by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

This law was given to the government Unusual powers such as impounding trucks and suing people who traveled to the capital to join the siege, as well as fines and revocation of driver’s licenses.

The protest began in January, when a convoy headed to Ottawa to oppose the mandatory vaccination mandate affecting truck drivers crossing the US-Canada border.

Over time it has grown into a broader movement of Opposition to restrictions due to the epidemic and the government of Justin Trudeauwith concentrations of support across the country.

Authorities cleared the bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and the US state of Michigan last weekend.

This week, truck driver protests were also dispersed at border crossings in Coats, Alberta, Surrey, British Columbia and Emerson.

Only the siege of Ottawa remained, which for more than three weeks paralyzed much of the city center.

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