Ottawa Convoy Braces for Impact

Ottawa — The ranks of protesters are swelling here in Ottawa today, as Canadians from across the country begin to pour in for the fourth weekend of demonstrations that first took root in the city in late January. The weekends typically take on the air of a music festival, but there’s a new tension in the crowds in the face of a noticeable police buildup over the course of the last 24 hours.

Groups of police officers now patrol the encampments, rarely stopping to interact with the protesters themselves. They’re greeted by a generally friendly crowd; despite an overcast sky and light rain, the feeling on the ground remains festive, as attendees by the main stage dance to music and makeshift concession stands nearby serve food and hot coffee. But the new law-enforcement presence here — which seems to grow larger by the hour, as busloads of officers roll in and stage around the perimeter of the convoy — occurs against the backdrop of heightened tensions between the anti-mandate protest movement and local and federal officials.

About the Author

Nate Hochman

Nate Hochman was a staff writer at National Review.

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Ottawa — The ranks of protesters are swelling here in Ottawa today, as Canadians from across the country begin to pour in for the fourth weekend of demonstrations that first took root in the city in late January. The weekends typically take on the air of a music festival, but there’s a new tension in the crowds in the face of a noticeable police buildup over the course of the last 24 hours.

Groups of police officers now patrol the encampments, rarely stopping to interact with the protesters themselves. They’re greeted by a generally friendly crowd; despite an overcast sky and light rain, the feeling on the ground remains festive, as attendees by the main stage dance to music and makeshift concession stands nearby serve food and hot coffee. But the new law-enforcement presence here — which seems to grow larger by the hour, as busloads of officers roll in and stage around the perimeter of the convoy — occurs against the backdrop of heightened tensions between the anti-mandate protest movement and local and federal officials.