Canadian police to remove protesters at US border

 A major protest that has disrupted Canada-US trade, appeared to ease somewhat following arrival of law enforcement officials on Saturday.

Police were looking to move several trucks blocking a key border crossing between the two nations.

The move comes after a court order had mandated that the demonstrators could not continue to block the Ambassador Bridge in the city of Windsor, Canada. However as night approached the important route remained closed.

Windsor police said that by mid-morning no arrests had been made but later said they had started ticketing and towing vehicles in a tweet: "Active enforcement in relation to parking in the area of the protest is commencing. Vehicles are being ticketed and towed.'' 

The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest US-Canadian border crossing, carrying 25% of all trade between the two nations.

Police in black uniforms with yellow vests rushed behind the protesters' vehicles and formed a line across the bridge entrance.

The number of protesters had decreased from about 200 on Friday night to roughly two dozen early Saturday, as many chose to leave the area after the court order was issued.

Two weeks of protests

Demonstrators are against Canada's vaccine mandates and other coronavirus restrictions. But they have also directed their ire toward Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In turn, Trudeau has referred to them as a "fringe'' of Canadian society.

But what began as a small, spontaneous act of collective action has lasted more than two weeks, with thousands of people taking part. Protesters at the Ambassador Bridge had shuttered traffic between the US and Canada for five days, threatening bilateral commerce.

Canadian leaders denounced the protesters and their actions.

"The illegal blockades are impacting trade, supply chains & manufacturing. They're hurting Canadian families, workers & businesses. Glad to see the Windsor Police & its policing partners commenced enforcement at and near the Ambassador Bridge," Federal Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne tweeted Saturday.

"These blockades must stop,'' he added.

Convoy has inspired others abroad

Canada's protests have reverberated outside the country, in France and New Zealand.

On Saturday, police in Paris intercepted at least 500 vehicles attempting to enter the city, in defiance of a police order, to participate in a "freedom convoy." Like the Canada convoy, French protesters are also against stricter rules affecting those who have either not been vaccinated or fully vaccinated. 

A convoy of motorists in the US is planning to gather at the waterfront in Port Huron, Michigan, in support of protesters in Canada. Another US group said it would converge this weekend at the Peace Bridge, also a US-Canadian border crossing in Buffalo, New York.

jcg, kb/sms (AFP, Reuters, AP)