Canada police threaten protesters with arrest; government links blockade to extremists

FILE PHOTO: Trucks block a downtown road as truckers and their supporters continue to protest against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 15, 2022. REUTERS/Patrick Doyle/File Photo

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Police in the Canadian capital Ottawa on Wednesday warned truck drivers blockading the downtown core to depart or face arrest in crackdown seeking to end a three-week-old protest over COVID restrictions.

Interim Police Chief Steve Bell vowed "to take back the entirety of the downtown core and every occupied space" in "coming days."