The Canadian police regained control of the main street in front of the federal parliament after dispersing hundreds of truck drivers who have paralyzed downtown Ottawa for more than three weeks protesting health restrictions.

The city authorities said on "Twitter" today that "the protesters are still aggressive and attacking the police, they refuse to obey their orders to leave."

Ottawa is usually calm, but the tension escalated after the riots witnessed last Friday night.

The police clarified that some protesters threw smoke bombs at the police and formed a human chain.

On the other hand, security personnel regained control of the main street in front of the parliament on Saturday afternoon and arrested 47 people, some of whom carried fireworks.

"I will not leave"
Before the new police intervention, the protesters who were still on site were dusting the snow off their signs on which they had written slogans denouncing the health measures related to COVID-19.

Others tried to warm themselves near a fire they lit, while some continued to sound the horns of heavy trucks.

Protester Johnny Row told the "Agence France-Presse": "I will not leave," ignoring the risk of arrest.

He added: "No turning back... everyone here, including me, had their lives destroyed due to what happened during the past two years."

Meanwhile, the police warned via "Twitter" today that "anyone found in the area" of downtown Canada's capital "will be arrested," accusing truck drivers of putting the children accompanying them at risk.

It is worth noting that the authorities had earlier indicated this morning that they had equipped their personnel with "helmets and batons" due to the increasing aggressiveness of the protesters.

On the other hand, many truck drivers voluntarily chose to leave and move their trucks off the streets.

Vince Green, who explained that he had to return to Calgary in Alberta to care for his children, said, "I will leave today." He added that his nurse wife lost her job due to refusing vaccination.

The protest movement, which its organizers called the "Freedom Convoy," began at the end of January, with its pioneers being truck drivers who refused the mandatory vaccination decision to cross the border between Canada and the United States.

But the demands of the protest, which authorities initially downplayed, expanded to include rejecting all health measures and even calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.

Crisis meeting
After its work was exceptionally disrupted due to the security situation, the parliament resumed its work today by discussing the use of the emergency measures law announced by the Prime Minister, while the latter called for a crisis meeting today.

Since Thursday, the parliament has been studying ways to implement this law that Justin Trudeau activated on Monday to put an end to the ongoing "illegal" disruptions in the country. This is the second time the law has been activated in peacetime, a move that the conservative opposition strongly contests.

For his part, Trudeau assured that the law will not be used to send the army to confront the protesters or to restrict freedom of expression.

The Prime Minister said at the weekend that the aim of activating it is simply "to face the current threat and fully control the situation."