Canadian police moved in to clear vaccination-mandate protesters after a judge ordered them to leave. For five days protesters tied up the international Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario (The Guardian):
Many protesters began driving away as police approached shortly after dawn. They had spent the night at the busiest crossing between the US and Canada despite new warnings to end the blockade that has disrupted the flow of goods between the two countries and forced the auto industry on both sides to roll back production.
With dozens of police around his car, a man with “Trump 2024” and “Mandate freedom” spray-painted on his vehicle left without any resistance. Other protesters began dismantling a small tarp-covered encampment.
But three large trucks and about 20 protesters remained blocking traffic early Saturday and they began singing Canada’s national anthem.
The demonstrators are protesting against Canada’s Covid-19 mandates and restrictions. There is also an outpouring of fury toward the prime minister, Justin Trudeau.
CNN adds:
Police in Windsor, Ontario, tweeted shortly before 8:30 a.m. ET that they “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 tweet reads.
The move comes a day after the issuance of a court order geared toward winding down the blockade that has snarled supply chains and alarmed political leaders.
Those refusing to leave could face fines up to $100,000 and up to one year in prison, Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, said in issuing a state of emergency on Friday. That announcement covers both protests in Windsor and in the capitol of Ottowa.
And the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor and Detroit is not the only affected border crossing. Demonstrators also have used semitrailers — and sometimes farm equipment and other vehicles — to block crossings between Emerson, Manitoba, and Pembina, North Dakota, as well as at the Coutts access point between Alberta and Montana.
The tie-up at Detroit has affected the U.S. auto industry since Day 1, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told CNN.
Vladimir Putin may need another distraction.
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