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The mayor of Canada's capital Ottawa has declared a state of emergency in response to more than a week of protests against Covid restrictions. Jim Watson said the city was "completely out of control", with demonstrators outnumbering police, and that the protests posed a threat to residents' safety. The protests, which are being held as part of a movement known as the Freedom Convoy, were sparked by the introduction of a new rule last month that meant all truckers must be vaccinated to cross the US-Canada border.

Stephanie Carvin, a former national security analyst for the Canadian government, and assistant professor of International Relations at Canada's Carleton University in Ottawa, has been following events. She says that the residents are exhausted by the noise and harassment.

"It's really been a brutal time for a city that is not use to noisy protests, but certainly, this is unlike anything we've ever really seen in Canada". She says that the cause has been hijacked by political elements, and has attracted support from many places, incuding Donald Trump and Fox Media, the conservative US media channel.

"This is often seen as a trucker's protest, but it's been organised by people that hold extremist views."

Photo: Police keep a watchful eye on protesters in Ottawa, Canada Credit: Getty Images)

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