Mayor of Windsor, Ontario, Drew Dilkens, said in a press conference Thursday that Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer offered to help remove protestors blocking the Ambassador Bridge for the past several days.
The bridge is a key border between the U.S. and Canada currently occupied by convoy truckers in protest of Canada’s COVID-19 mandates. The protest, called the Freedom Convoy, began in Ottawa and has since gone international.
“The State of Michigan and the governors’ office directly have offered to send over heavy equipment to help remove vehicles, to provide security, they’ve offered to do whatever is required to help end this blockade as well,” Dilkens said in the press conference.
The mayor is seeking an injunction to begin removing protestors which will, if approved, give police the authority to do so, according to Detroit’s WXYZ 7 Action News.
“We can’t just let this lawlessness continue to happen,” Dilkens said.
Windsor mayor signaled police may soon ‘physically remove’ Ambassador Bridge protesters https://t.co/OEhiRlfXmD
— Detroit Free Press (@freep) February 10, 2022
Whitmer released a statement Thursday morning urging Canada to “quickly resolve the ongoing Ambassador Bridge closure and its impacts on the Michigan’s economy, including key sectors like autos, agriculture, manufacturing, and more.”
The bridge is the busiest crossing in North America, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars in goods every day, negatively impacting Michigan families, according to Whitmer. (RELATED: Ottawa Police Arrest ‘Several’ People For Bringing Gas To ‘Freedom Convoy’ Protesters)
Whitmer has not responded to the mayor of Windsor’s comments about her alleged statements offering help, according to WXYZ 7 Action News.
The White House has also expressed concern over the Ambassador Bridge closure.
“The Ambassador Bridge is Canada’s busiest link to the United States and accounts for about 25 percent of trade between the two countries,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday, “and so the blockade poses a risk to supply chains for the auto industry because the bridge is a key conduit for motor vehicles components and parts.”
Psaki said in Tuesday’s briefing that while the White House supports the right to protest, the protests have caused disruptions which have “broadened in scope beyond the vaccine requirement implementation.”