A Canadian judge granted a court order Friday to end a truckers’ blockade of the Windsor Ambassador Bridge, a vital trade route with the United States that connects to Detroit.
The injunction, approved by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, was sought by the city of Windsor and the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association. Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz said it would go into effect at 7 p.m., but reports from the scene indicated that the crowd was not quick to leave. The city and association argued that they were losing as much as 50 million Canadian dollars (roughly US$39 million) per day thanks to the convoy, which has blocked off the bridge since Monday, according to the BBC.
Protesters have been demonstrating for weeks with the goal of ending COVID-19-related restrictions, and the standoff with government officials and authorities is reaching a crescendo.
The Windsor Police Service issued a message Friday warning the truckers to depart from the bridge if they wish to avoid facing charges. Anyone who does not leave “could be arrested if [they] are a party to the offense or assisting others in the direct or indirect commission of this offense,” police warned.
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“Vehicles or other property related to an offense may be seized,” police said. “Once a vehicle is seized, it may be detained and, following a conviction, possibly forfeited.”
Here’s the scene at the Ambassador Bridge, 20 minutes after the court injunction went into effect. Big crowd. One observation: there are way more protesters than police in this area. It’s not clear how they’d remove anyone without reinforcement. @TorontoStar pic.twitter.com/qhMwqKop3Q
— Jacob Lorinc (@jacoblorinc) February 12, 2022
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke with President Joe Biden on Friday and that the two discussed the blockade of the bridge. Trudeau also warned the Canadian truckers protesting in Ottawa, the country’s capital, that police and all levels of government are ready to take action against them if they don’t leave.
“We hope these people will decide to go home,” Trudeau said. “Otherwise, there will be increasingly robust police interventions.”
The Windsor crossing is not the only bridge the Freedom Convoy and its supporters have blocked. Police in Manitoba said Thursday that protesters have “shut down” the Emmerson point of entry between Canada and North Dakota. Additionally, law enforcement in Alberta said Wednesday that the Coutts crossing, which is a point of entry between Montana and Alberta, was impassable, with northbound and southbound traffic blocked.
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On Thursday, Ontario officials said they had a court order to freeze donations made to the Freedom Convoy through fundraising platform GiveSendGo. The Freedom Convoy has been relying on money raised through the platform since it was kicked off GoFundMe, which claimed that the truckers violated its policies.
