Not really, they self selected themselves as leaders at the start, and de-legitimtized whatever it was the original message was supposed to be (which they never really were clear on anyway). And then other groups also self selected themselves as leaders. At one point there was something like 4 different factions bargaining with the OPS, with a few others specifically coming out saying they had nothing to do with the others and wouldn't stick by whatever agreement the other factions might come to to relocate. None of them had the same point or demands; the only real consistent thing was they were frustrated and angry (at different things). Who exactly was the government supposed to try talking to?
These kinds of splits are probably present at most large scale protests, except they don't stick around for a month., or try and raise millions., so the fringe lunatics stay on the edges, instead of repeatedly getting in the spotlight.
There were a lot of 'F*ck Trudeau" flags, hats and tshirts floating around, with random people yelling at cashiers and other frontline workers they didn't need to wear a mask, we were all brainwashed etc. Their behaviour didn't exactly invite rational dialogue, and there were enough people behaving like that it was more than a small minority. And some are still sticking around (like TUPOC).
They would have made more effective point if they had stuck around for 3 days, kept the message consistent and simple, and then gone home. Instead they collectively behaved like assholes, and blew up a lot of sympathy and support they had at the start from everyone here who is also frustrated and angry, but still wants to be able to do things like have emergency service vehicles get through when they are called, or sleep.
Ottawa is pretty used to large scale protests and demonstrations, they happen here weekly, and in the summer there are usually a few concurrent ones on the go each week.
