"Siege" day ten: State of emergency introduced

"Siege" day ten: State of emergency introduced

In a brief statement, the city says the decision reflects a "serious danger and threat to the safety of residents" from protesters who are all over the city and outnumber police officers, reports "Global News". Protesters in the Canadian capital outnumbered police and control the situation, the mayor of Ottawa said on Sunday, amid protests against mandatory vaccinations that have been paralyzing parts of the city for 10 days.

The "Freedom Convoy" began as a movement against the mandatory vaccination of truckers crossing the border, and turned into a rally against public health measures and the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The center of Ottawa has been paralyzed for the past nine days, with some protesters waving Confederate flags or Nazi symbols, while some have called for the dissolution of the Canadian government. "The situation is completely out of control at the moment because individuals from the protest are controlling the situation," Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said on a local radio station.

"They have far more people than we have police officers," he added. Protests against compulsory vaccination have spread beyond Ottawa. Thousands protested Saturday in other Canadian cities, including the financial center of Toronto.