Hundreds of protesters still in Ottawa after injunction granted to silence honking

A core group of protesters in the nation's capital continue to defy calls for the trucker convoy to go home as Ottawa remains under a state of emergency, with city officials demanding more resources to deal with policing them.

At an “emergency press conference” held by some of the protest organizers, a spokesperson proposed the truckers would be willing to “sit down with” and form a coalition of opposition parties with the Governor General of Canada, in an apparent variation of the Canada Unity MOU that was circulated prior to the convoy’s arrival in Ottawa.

The group said they have booked a room at a local hotel in Ottawa to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Tuesday, who has thus far declined to meet with or acknowledge the convoy’s leaders, nor has he displayed an inclination to negotiate.

The Ottawa Police Service estimate approximately 500 trucks and personal vehicles remain in the “red zone” or downtown core of the city, making parts of the capital inaccessible.

Some businesses in the core area remain closed, including the Rideau Centre Mall, as well as the Canadian History Museum, the Canadian Museum of Nature and the Canadian War Museum.