Police officers began dealing with the protesters opposing the government in Ottawa today, Friday, arresting 70 people and towing vehicles in an attempt to end three weeks of occupation that echoed throughout Canada and around the world.

Dozens of officers who had gathered in the freezing cold downtown after a nighttime snowstorm began moving in mid-morning under the bright sun, pushing the protesters back and making arrests along the way.

With support from officers on horseback and snipers on rooftops, the police ranks slowly advanced at an eastern intersection of Parliament Square, isolating one group of protesters.

Police issued warnings through loudspeakers before officers advanced intermittently, forcing dozens of protesters to retreat, some of whom began resisting while others shouted insults or tried to flee.

Officers wearing military uniforms, some wearing gas masks and what appeared to be tear gas guns, approached the protesters from another direction in a pincer movement before a third group of police encircled them.

As the officers closed in on that group, other protesters watched from their main camp westward on Wellington Street near the National War Memorial and Parliament Square, urging their trapped comrades to "hold firm" and shouting insults.

The police actions, which included the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), local officers, and other police units from other cities, came following an initial round of arrests yesterday, Thursday, against key organizers.

They also came after repeated warnings and signals in the past two days that the police were preparing for a campaign of arrests after weeks of accommodating the demonstration, which left many Ottawa residents angry, exhausted, and critical of the city police's power.

Acting Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell said at a press conference on Friday afternoon that clearing the area would take time, but the process was "deliberate and methodical" and that the police had control on the ground.

He said those arrested were charged with various crimes including assault, adding that the police were still urging protesters to leave peacefully.

Adding that there was no need to engage with the Ottawa Children's Aid Society but that there were still "shocks and surprises" to him that children were being harmed amid a protest unfolding with police operations.

Explaining, we will continue to care for their safety and security, but we urge all parents who have children there: get the children out of there, they should not be in the middle of this action. It is not a safe place for them.

As the police repelled the protesters, tow trucks moved to remove some of the dozens of large excavators and other vehicles that were mainly used to block the streets around the Parliament building since late last month.

On the other hand, the police were also working to deploy dozens of checkpoints around the downtown designed to prevent any new protesters from reaching to support those inside the area.

While some protesters on the outer edges of the downtown protest began packing their bags in the backs of their small cars before leaving, others said they were undeterred by the threat of arrest and planned to stay.