Police in Ottawa cleared a major bridge Sunday that had been blocked by protesters against Canadian COVID-19 restrictions for days.
The Detroit International Bridge Company, which operates the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, Canada announced Sunday that protesters had been cleared from the pathway after intense standoffs with police throughout the weekend. Police began arresting and removing demonstrators after a judge issued an injunction Friday ordering the clearing of the bridge.
#BREAKING: The Ambassador Bridge has REOPENED. Detroit International Bridge Company announces in statement it is fully open for the first time since Feb 7. This follows 2 days of intense protester-police standoffs as enforcement action cleared the bridge and surrounding streets. pic.twitter.com/uuEqQ4NfhR
— Daniel Cress (@DSCress) February 14, 2022
Cross-border traffic had been disrupted on the Ambassador Bridge since Feb. 7, culminating in a total blockage of traffic by the weekend. Dozens of arrests were made Sunday and five vehicles were seized, according to NBC News.
About one-quarter of U.S.-Canada trade occurs via the bridge, accounting for nearly $400 million in economic activity per day. (RELATED: Trudeau Blames Americans For Aiding And Abetting Ottawa Trucker Protest)
Windsor Police Chief Pam Mizuno commended the work of her officers with a tweet late Sunday, praising the peaceful end to the disruption. Monday morning, Windsor Police reiterated calls for the public to avoid the area near the bridge and warned that there would be zero tolerance for further illegal activity.
We continue to remind the public that enforcement is ongoing in the demonstration area and there will be zero tolerance for illegal activity. The public should also continue to avoid the area.
— Windsor Police (@WindsorPolice) February 14, 2022
I am very thankful for today’s peaceful outcome. This would not have been possible without the professionalism & dedication of all our policing partners & WPS members and the hard work and incredible support from all our other partners & the community. My sincere thanks to all.
— Chief Pam Mizuno (@PamMizuno) February 14, 2022
The protesters in Windsor were aligned with the “freedom convoy” of truckers which rolled into Ottawa at the beginning of February in protest of vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers and other COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Canadian government. The truckers in the capital are entering their third week of occupying parts of Ottawa near the Canadian Parliament and shutting down business and traffic within the area.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency Friday. Authorities have taken increasingly aggressive steps to displace the truckers from Ottawa, including by seizing fuel, issuing court rulings against horn-honking and arresting some demonstrators, but have thus far been unsuccessful in convincing the truckers to head home.
