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(Video Credit: CBC News)
Canadian police began attempts to remove “Freedom Convoy” protesters from the Ambassador Bridge Saturday morning in an effort to end a six-day blockade taking place at North America’s busiest international crossing as tensions mounted, with demonstrators yelling, “Freedom!” and some singing “O Canada.”
At about 8 a.m. EST, Windsor police announced that they would begin making arrests.
“Enforcement continuing, individuals who are located within the demonstration area are subject to arrest,” the Windsor police tweeted. “People are advised to immediately vacate the area.”
Several protesters told Fox News that they intended on staying and vowed to continue to demonstrate peacefully against Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s massive government overreach.
“We’re staying here for our rights, we’re not just walking out of here after this,” one protester proclaimed. “We’ve gone around and policed ourselves. We’ve said there’s no way anybody intends to get violent.”
Dozens of police officers lined up to approach protesters near the foot of the bridge on the Canadian side of the border.
The Windsor Police & its policing partners have 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.
— Windsor Police (@WindsorPolice) February 12, 2022
Enforcement continuing, individuals who are located within the demonstration area are subject to arrest. People are advised to immediately vacate the area.
— Windsor Police (@WindsorPolice) February 12, 2022
On Friday evening, a judge issued an injunction allowing the police to start arresting protesters. Initially, that was supposed to take effect at 7 p.m. By midnight, no moves by the police were seen. It wasn’t until Saturday morning that the police began to move in to eject the protesters or arrest them.
“One by one, we’ll start towing the cars if required,” Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens proclaimed on Friday, a few hours before the judge’s deadline.
The Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, also declared a state of emergency on Friday, promising “severe” consequences for those who took part in blockades at the bridge and elsewhere in the province, including demonstrations in the nation’s capital of Ottawa. He asserted that those who don’t leave the blockades could face a maximum penalty of $100,000 and up to one year in prison.
“So let me be as clear as I can, there will be consequences for these actions, and they will be severe. We’ve already started by going after the money funding the illegal occupation,” Ford warned.
The police at the Canada/U.S. border begin to move in on protesters in Windsor, Ontario, Canada near the Ambassador bridge. pic.twitter.com/xEAtizQrMX
— Marie Oakes (@TheMarieOakes) February 12, 2022
Police negotiators at the Canada/U.S, border in Windsor, Ontario near the Ambassador bridge tell protesters that if they do not leave they could be arrested for mischief. pic.twitter.com/vzKk71EgwT
— Marie Oakes (@TheMarieOakes) February 12, 2022
Police are slowly closing in on Windsor protesters who insist on singing O Canada pic.twitter.com/sMIhAdgxKT
— Thomas Daigle (@thomasdaigle) February 12, 2022
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson told CNN that he expects even more demonstrators over the weekend.
“It’s completely unacceptable,” Watson raged. “Particularly in the neighborhoods where some of the protesters are going into restaurants and refusing to wear a mask and harassing staff and really being belligerent to the residents of our city.”
Threats of sending in the military have also been made and bank accounts that have accepted donations to the truckers are being frozen.
A convoy is forming in the United States and DHS is already blustering over it, “The convoy will potentially begin in California as early as mid-February and arrive in Washington, DC, as late as mid-March, potentially impacting the Super Bowl LVI scheduled for 13 February and the State of the Union Address scheduled for 1 March.”
Two trucker convoys are reportedly being organized in the United States that will head to the US-Canada border in Buffalo on Saturday and Sunday, according to CNN.
“Nor have the organizers contacted our Special Events Office to arrange for the appropriate insurance and public safety planning that is required for all events in the City to ensure the health and safety of residents and visitors,” Buffalo city spokesperson Michael DeGeorge informed CNN. “It is always a concern when laws that are designed to keep people and property protected are willfully ignored.”
“If you joined the protests because you’re tired of COVID, you now need to understand that you are breaking laws,” Trudeau said during a Friday news conference. “You don’t want to end up losing your license, end up with a criminal record, which will impact your job, your livelihood.”
The Trudeau government is preparing to send more officers to protests across the country.
RCMP reinforcements have arrived at the Windsor protest site including officers in military-style gear in the back of the line pic.twitter.com/Gas0fy9NY1
— Thomas Daigle (@thomasdaigle) February 12, 2022
Truly surreal scene in Windsor as police close in on protesters while loud Sam Smith music plays over the speakers pic.twitter.com/1apF8wvYW5
— Thomas Daigle (@thomasdaigle) February 12, 2022
Stand-off between police and protesters in Windsor. Officers aren’t moving to arrest demonstrators yet but are giving them less and less room. pic.twitter.com/nO8imBB1lH
— Thomas Daigle (@thomasdaigle) February 12, 2022
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