The desecration of a war memorial in Ottawa and harassment of some city officials and NGO volunteers sparked an angry response after thousands of demonstrators brought Canada's capital to a standstill for a second day on Sunday during protests against federal vaccine mandates.
The police said they had launched “several investigations” in response.
A “Freedom Convoy” of lorries was joined by other sympathetic lorry drivers who blocked a border motorway into the US.
Images of Nazi flags, along with footage of vehicles parked on the national war memorial with beer-drinking protesters dancing on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, dealt a blow to the convoy’s calls for peaceful protest.
“I am sickened to see protesters dance on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and desecrate the National War Memorial,” Wayne Eyre, the country's chief of the defence staff, said on Twitter.
“Generations of Canadians have fought and died for our rights, including free speech, but not this. Those involved should hang their heads in shame.”
The chaos clogged the capital's city centre near Parliament throughout the weekend and protesters speaking on a makeshift stage said they did not intend to leave anytime soon.
Canada’s legislature has been on a winter break since the middle of December but is scheduled to resume sitting on Monday.
“This afternoon, a large presence of police continues throughout the downtown core and the movement of protesters and lorries continues to be managed,” Ottawa's police said.
“These high-risk situations were de-escalated and resolved with no arrests,” the authorities said.
However, “police resources are fully stretched” in dealing with the obstruction, which appeared to involve hundreds of lorry drivers.
The protest began last week in western Canada, where hundreds of lorry drivers organised a convoy to drive from Vancouver to the Canadian capital to demonstrate against coronavirus-related restrictions, particularly a recent vaccination requirement for lorry drivers crossing the long US-Canada border.
Lorries began arriving in Ottawa on Friday in several convoys and were joined by thousands of other anti-vaccination protesters.
In solidarity with the convergence on Ottawa, lorry drivers on Sunday staged what police described as a “complete blockage” of Motorway 4 in western Canada's Alberta province along the US border.
The road is a major artery for commercial goods between the two nations.
“As of right now … the port of entry remains open technically speaking. However, nobody would be able to get to them except on foot,” Curtis Peters, a spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Alberta, told AFP. He said about 100 lorries were blocking the road.
Barricades were installed on Sunday to block vehicle access to the area around the war memorial, after several illegally parked vehicles were towed away.
A soup kitchen near Parliament said its staff were intimidated by some demonstrators into giving them free food. A statue of Terry Fox, an amputee who became famous for attempting a cross-country trek to raise money for cancer research, was draped with protest propaganda.
Liquor stores in Ottawa's city centre were closed early on Saturday and remained shut on Sunday. Other local businesses were swamped by demonstrators defying mask mandates, and a large shopping mall in the city centre closed after protesters refused to follow Covid-19 regulations.
With protesters gathering, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family were moved to an undisclosed location in Ottawa on Saturday, Canadian media reported.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance, a major industry group, said the vast majority of the country's lorry drivers are vaccinated. It has “strongly disapproved” of the disruption in Ottawa.
'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Company%20profile
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The five pillars of Islam
Results
Catchweight 60kg: Mohammed Al Katheeri (UAE) beat Mostafa El Hamy (EGY) TKO round 3
Light Heavyweight: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) no contest Kevin Oumar (COM) Unintentional knee by Oumer
Catchweight 73kg: Yazid Chouchane (ALG) beat Ahmad Al Boussairy (KUW) Unanimous decision
Featherweight: Faris Khaleel Asha (JOR) beat Yousef Al Housani (UAE) TKO in round 2 through foot injury
Welterweight: Omar Hussein (JOR) beat Yassin Najid (MAR); Split decision
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Sallah Eddine Dekhissi (MAR); Round-1 TKO
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali Musalim (UAE) beat Medhat Hussein (EGY); Triangle choke submission
Welterweight: Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) beat Sofiane Oudina (ALG); Triangle choke Round-1
Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Saleem Al Bakri (JOR); Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Nawras Abzakh (JOR); TKO round-2
Catchweight 63kg: Rany Saadeh (PAL) beat Abdel Ali Hariri (MAR); Unanimous decision
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PRO%20MAX
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
SUE%20GRAY'S%20FINDINGS
%3Cp%3E%22Whatever%20the%20initial%20intent%2C%20what%20took%20place%20at%20many%20of%20these%20gatherings%20and%20the%3Cbr%3Eway%20in%20which%20they%20developed%20was%20not%20in%20line%20with%20Covid%20guidance%20at%20the%20time.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22Many%20of%20these%20events%20should%20not%20have%20been%20allowed%20to%20happen.%20It%20is%20also%20the%20case%20that%20some%20of%20the%3Cbr%3Emore%20junior%20civil%20servants%20believed%20that%20their%20involvement%20in%20some%20of%20these%20events%20was%20permitted%20given%20the%20attendance%20of%20senior%20leaders.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22The%20senior%20leadership%20at%20the%20centre%2C%20both%20political%20and%20official%2C%20must%20bear%20responsibility%20for%20this%20culture.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22I%20found%20that%20some%20staff%20had%20witnessed%20or%20been%20subjected%20to%20behaviours%20at%20work%20which%20they%20had%20felt%20concerned%20about%20but%20at%20times%20felt%20unable%20to%20raise%20properly.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22I%20was%20made%20aware%20of%20multiple%20examples%20of%20a%20lack%20of%20respect%20and%20poor%20treatment%20of%20security%20and%20cleaning%20staff.%20This%20was%20unacceptable.%22%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
How Beautiful this world is!
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E77kWh%202%20motors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E178bhp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E410Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E402km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh%2C150%2C000%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETBC%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
