Crowds gather in downtown Ottawa to protest the federal COVID-19 mandates on July 1, 2022. (Limin Zhou/The Epoch Times)
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This article will be updated throughout the day.
OTTAWA—Crowds of people protesting against the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate have begun a march in downtown Ottawa, calling for freedoms while marking Canada Day.
Cheering and chants of “freedom” could be heard as people marched along Wellington Street.
A day earlier, a large crowd convened at the War Memorial to welcome military veteran James Topp to his final destination, after he completed his four-month journey on foot from downtown Vancouver to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
There is a heightened police presence as the city and law enforcement say they want to avoid a similar situation to what occurred this winter when Freedom Convoy protesters camped in the Parliament area for weeks. They were cleared in an escalated police operation after the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, in a controversial move.
Police limited access to the downtown area ahead of July 1, and the city raised fines, saying offences such as “unusual noise” and “shouting” would result in $1,000 fines.
Police arrested four people after a confrontation with protesters on June 30.
The Ottawa By-law & Regulatory Services said in the morning of July 1 that since June 29, officers have issued 275 parking tickets and towed 72 vehicles in areas designated as “vehicle control zones” in place for Canada Day events.
Limin Zhou is a reporter based in Ottawa.