Updated: Police clear Canada’s Ambassador Bridge peacefully

By Cecilia Ologunagba/New York

Canadian Police on Saturday moved in to disperse the nearly weeklong blockade at U.S.- Canadian border blocked by citizens, protesting COVID-19 related restrictions.

According to reports, protesters have started leaving without resistance.

Many demonstrators drove away from the Ambassador Bridge spanning the river between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, as scores of police approached shortly after dawn.

They had spent the night there in defiance of new warnings to end the blockade, which disrupted the flow of traffic and goods and forced the auto industry on both sides to roll back production.

Access to three border crossings in Michigan, North Dakota and Montana have been cut off by truckers and like-minded demonstrators on the Canadian side of the border who are protesting COVID related restrictions.

To address the ongoing issue, the Canadian Government had on Thursday announced it would send additional officers and resources to protests throughout the country.

For two weeks now, the trucks have blockaded the downtown core of Ottawa, the capital of Canada. In recent days, demonstrators have parked their bulky vehicles in the middle of critical roadways between Canada and the U.S.

Thursday marked the fourth day protesters impeded access to the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor, the busiest international crossing in North America.

More protesters arrived to the area Saturday morning, though carrying flags and yelling. Police continued to back people away from the bridge, and there were no visible physical confrontations.

The demonstrations at the Ambassador Bridge, downtown Ottawa and elsewhere have targeted vaccine mandates and other coronavirus restrictions and vented fury toward Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has called the protesters a “fringe” of Canadian society.

The protests have reverberated outside the country, with similarly inspired convoys in France, New Zealand and the Netherlands, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned that truck protests may be in the works in the United States.

Windsor police tweeted that no one had been arrested as of mid-morning but urged people to stay away from the bridge.

“We appreciate the cooperation of the demonstrators at this time and we will continue to focus on resolving the demonstration peacefully. Avoid area!”

Daniel Koss was among those who stayed overnight. Shortly before police advanced, he said the protest had succeeded in bringing attention to demands to lift COVID-19 mandates and he was happy it remained peaceful.

“It’s a win-win.

“The pandemic is rolling down right now, they can remove the mandates, all the mandates, and everyone’s happy. The government does the right thing, and the protesters are all happy,” Koss said.

He said he believed most people would disperse in an orderly fashion, “because we don’t want to cause a big problem.”