The sound of horns from 400-500 trucks protesting anti-vaccine has sparked public anger

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, OTTAWA — A Canadian judge issued a provisional order preventing people from sounding horn in the Canadian capital, Ottawa on Monday (7/2/2022). This provision is valid for up to 10 days.

This order is part of the lawsuit class action filed on behalf of residents of downtown Ottawa. Some of them said they felt insecure in their own environment.

“Honking the horn is not an expression of great thought that I’m aware of,” Judge Hugh McLean said BBC.

The honking of about 400 to 500 trucks has sparked anger among local residents and business owners. That loud and continuous sound has become one of the hallmarks of the movement Independence Convoy against the vaccine mandate.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister for Public Security Marco Mendicino for reinforcements. “The occupation has turned into an aggressive and hateful occupation of our neighborhood,” he wrote.

Watson called honking the horn tantamount to psychological warfare. “People live in fear and fear,” he said.

There is also evidence of resistance from residents. Tiny signs on the ground-floor windows of an apartment building a few blocks away read: “Foolish family trip” and “Vaccines save lives.”

“We cannot allow the angry mob to reverse the course that has continued to save lives in this last stretch. This should never set a precedent for how to make policy in Canada,” Mendicino said.

Deputy Chief of Police Steve Bell told city council members that police had received active threats against community leaders during the 11-day occupation of the city. Ottawa police have received help from hundreds of officers at other police agencies, but they say it’s not enough.

In addition to the action, Ottawa police said they had seized thousands of liters of fuel. Officers removed an oil tanker as part of a crackdown to end days of protests.

Since Sunday (6/2) evening, police began moving gas and fuel supplies at a logistics camp set up by protesters after the city’s mayor declared a state of emergency. A well-organized supply chain has underpinned the protesters. According to police, some rely on funds from sympathizers in the United States.