Canadian police start arresting protesters in Ottawa

Authorities in Canada say they are beginning to arrest truckers who have paralyzed traffic in Ottawa for three weeks in a protest against the country’s COVID-19 restrictions.

Police in Ottawa tweeted that some protesters are surrendering and being arrested Friday morning outside Parliament Hill.

Police already arrested two of the protest’s leaders late Thursday and have sealed off much of the downtown area to outsiders.

The capital represents the self-styled Freedom Convoy’s last stronghold after weeks of demonstrations and blockades that shut down border crossings into the U.S. and caused economic harm to both countries.