Canada's capital starts cleanup after weeks-long protest

Canadian police officers stand guard as they work to restore normality to the capital while trucks and demonstrators continue to occupy the downtown core for more than three weeks to protest against pandemic restrictions in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 19, 2022. REUTERS/Blair Gable

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canadian police on Sunday smashed the windows of vehicles abandoned in the downtown core of the capital to search and tow them away, and city workers cleaned up trash after two days of tense standoffs and 191 arrests ended a three-week occupation of Ottawa.

Demonstrators had used hundreds of trucks and vehicles to block the city center since Jan. 28, prompting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to invoke rarely used emergency powers. Fifty-seven vehicles had been towed by midday, police said.