Key US-Canada border bridge remains closed as Canadian police clear protesters

Canadian police have cleared protesters and vehicles that had blocked a key border crossing with the United States in protest against the government’s COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates.

Police made several arrests and towed vehicles near the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit and the city of Windsor, Ontario, on Sunday, after protesters defied an injunction order to end the blockade that had disrupted North America’s busiest land border crossing for the sixth consecutive day.

However, the vital trade route has not been open to traffic yet.

In a post on its Twitter account, Windsor Police said “Enforcement actions continue at the demonstration area with arrests being made. Vehicles being towed. Please continue avoiding the area,” without mentioning how many people have been arrested.

“There will be zero tolerance for illegal activity,” it added.

Police stepped up their presence with more than 50 vehicles, including cruisers, buses and an armored car on Sunday, as the number of protesters dropped to around 45 from roughly 100 a day earlier.

Protesters in trucks, cars and vans started blocking traffic at the Ambassador Bridge late on Monday. The bridge carries about $360 million a day in two-way cargoes – 25% of the value of all US-Canada goods trade.

On Saturday, Superior Court Justice Geoffrey Morawetz issued an injunction following a request by Ontario’s auto industry associations and Windsor city authorities who said the blockade was hurting their business.

The disruption also forced Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford to declare a state of emergency, threatening the protesters with legal measures, including fines and potential jail time for rejecting the government’s rules.

Police also moved in early on Saturday, pushing protesters back from the foot of the bridge, but more people streamed into the area in the afternoon and the operation appeared to have stalled.