OTTAWA—Police on Saturday armed with batons and pepper spray pushed hundreds of protesters out of a central encampment that had for weeks turned the four-lane street in front of Canada’s national legislature into a parking lot and block party.

Standoffs between officers and demonstrators were continuing on smaller streets nearby as of late Saturday afternoon.

The...

OTTAWA—Police on Saturday armed with batons and pepper spray pushed hundreds of protesters out of a central encampment that had for weeks turned the four-lane street in front of Canada’s national legislature into a parking lot and block party.

Standoffs between officers and demonstrators were continuing on smaller streets nearby as of late Saturday afternoon.

The arrests and clearing of the protesters—who demanded that governments across the country rescind all Covid-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions—suggest the end is near to a 23-day demonstration in the heart of Canada’s capital that attracted global attention, choked traffic and disrupted life for city residents.

Ottawa interim police chief Steve Bell said officers faced “a barrage of resistance, shoving and vitriol” from protesters who remained at the scene after multiple warnings that they could be arrested. He said police were aware of reports that some protesters had moved to surrounding areas and told residents.

“We are not going anywhere until you have your streets back,” he said, adding he didn’t have a timeline as to when he could declare the protest over.

On Saturday the blockade was met with hundreds of police officers drawn from across the country, including some on horseback and others who carried batons and shields. Some officers carried firearms.

Police said Saturday afternoon that 170 people had been arrested during a two-day surge that began on Friday, with 47 of the arrests taking place on Saturday.

The progress by police will come as a relief to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who invoked rarely-used emergency powers this week to bring the protest to an end. In a cabinet order, the government said the Ottawa demonstration, and the U.S.-Canada border blockades it inspired, posed a national security risk. The powers allowed police to create no-go zones, such as downtown Ottawa, and compel tow-truck drivers to remove trucks.

A statement from two spokespeople for the Freedom Convoy on Saturday afternoon said the group was shocked by police actions, which they said included trampling protesters with horses and hitting protesters with batons.

The Ottawa blockade was met with hundreds of police officers drawn from across Canada, including some on horseback and others who carried batons and shields.

Photo: Justin Tang/Associated Press

“We have therefore asked our truckers to move from Parliament Hill to avoid further brutality,” the statement said. It said moving the remaining trucks would take time and they hoped police wouldn’t use force while that is being done.

Interim chief Bell said Saturday that mounted police were used the day before in an effort to create space during a tense confrontation between police and protesters. Two protesters “did collide with the horses,” he said. “They fell down. They immediately got back up and started to again engage in their protest.”

Police also pushed protesters and smashed the windows of some vehicles that were left parked on the street in past weeks. Pepper spray was used on a crowd that was aggressive and had refused to move, police said. At least one woman was seen being carried away from a line of protesters while crying and was brought by protesters into a tent.

Asked in a press conference about the use of force against the protesters, interim chief Bell said police would review the arrests to make sure a lawful amount of force was used.

Ottawa residents had complained for weeks that its local police force had not done enough to enforce laws and get the protesters to leave. The capital’s residents also said the protest caused frayed nerves, unnecessary traffic congestion, and disrupted sleep due to incessant honking.

By triggering the emergency powers, Mr. Trudeau “decided to take ownership of the situation,” said Daniel Béland, a politics professor at Montreal’s McGill University, “which is very risky politically—but it’s probably less risky than doing nothing.”

Although many protesters left voluntarily or were arrested Friday, hundreds remained in the area Saturday morning, with many standing in front of the police line and shouting at officers as they advanced. As the police made further gains on the main protest strip, truckers hopped into their cabs and drove away. By midafternoon, the hundreds of heavy-duty trucks parked in front of the legislature were gone. Those that remained were being towed.

Police also said protesters were assaulting police officers and in some cases had tried to take their weapons. Some of the protesters arrested Saturday were wearing body armor, had smoke grenades on them and were carrying fireworks in their bags, according to police. They added that more smoke grenades and fireworks were found in a vehicle near the national legislature.

Canada Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said officials, through emergency measures that were invoked last week, had succeeded in freezing at least 76 bank accounts belonging to suspected protesters, holding a total of 3.2 million Canadian dollars, or the equivalent of $2.5 million. This marks the first time a federal official outlined progress in trying to cut off financing to protesters, as allowed per extraordinary measures invoked this week.

Ottawa resident Meagan Hatch said she’s finally feeling some relief that life in the city will eventually return to normal. She said she’s seen protesters at the local grocery store, refusing to wear masks, and accosting other customers and staff. She added she was worried after the local education board sent a note to parents warning that protesters may target schools.

Earlier

Footage showed trucks in gridlock on the Ambassador Bridge, a key trading link between the U.S. and Canada. It was temporarily closed early Tuesday amid growing protests against Canada’s Covid-19 vaccine mandates. Photo: WXYZ/AP The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition

“You have a right to protest. You don’t have the right to come and just set up camp and live here,” Ms. Hatch said. “It’s been quite traumatic. And it’s gone on for way too long.”

Polling from Angus Reid Institute indicated that over 70% of Canadians wanted the protesters to leave the capital.

Photo: Alex Kent/Getty Images

Polling published this week from Angus Reid Institute indicated that over 70% of Canadians wanted the protesters to leave the capital. “This thing took on a life of its own,” said Shachi Kurl, Angus Reid’s president, adding the protest highlighted deep divisions within the Canadian electorate in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. “There are a lot of lingering issues that, at some point once people catch their breath, we can perhaps better understand how we got here as a country.”

Canada’s House of Commons had reconvened Saturday morning to debate emergency measures Mr. Trudeau invoked recently to deal with the protests, after officials earlier took the rare step of canceling Friday’s sitting. A vote on a motion to extend the emergency measures for a full 30-day period is scheduled for Monday evening. The powers are in effect now but expire early next week absent parliamentary approval.

A protester's truck is towed away after police cleared a street of demonstrators in Ottawa Saturday.

Photo: Dave Chan/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

—Jacquie McNish contributed to this article.

Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com and Kim Mackrael at kim.mackrael@wsj.com