Canadian police start to clear Ambassador bridge blockade

Toronto (Canada) 12 feb (EFE).- Canadian police on Saturday started clearing a blockade of the bridge that is the main land route to the United States.

Police in Windsor, Ontario, tweeted just before 08:30 AM (ET) that they had “commenced enforcement at and near the Ambassador Bridge.”

“We urge all demonstrators to act lawfully & peacefully. Commuters are still being asked to avoid the areas affected by the demonstrations at this time,” the post added.

The attempt to clear North America’s busiest international crossing came after a court order filed by the city of Windsor and the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association on Friday citing it was losing as much as $50million daily as a result of the blockade.

Local broadcasters streamed footage of dozens of police officers advancing towards some 100 protesters and several dozen vehicles that continued to block traffic on the bridge.

The protesters started to slowly back down and several heavy trucks had already abandoned the bridge blockade.

Many of the truckers, holding Canadian flags, started singing the national anthem, while others rebuked the police officers attempting to clear the bridge asking them “who are you working for?”

Following the Friday court order, police officers distributed leaflets to the truckers on Friday night warning them that on Saturday a state of emergency would come into effect in Ontario and that the bridge blockade was illegal.

The siege has had a serious knock-on effect on both the Canadian and United States economies.

At least six car companies on both sides of the border reported disruptions as a result of the protests.

Some firms have reportedly had to halt production due to supply chain issues.

In addition to the Windsor bridge, protesters blocked another two border crossings in the center and west of the country.

The protests erupted when new rules forced Canadian truckers crossing the US-Canadian border to be fully vaccinated or face quarantine in their homes for two weeks when they returned.EFE

jcr/ch