Police push back demonstrators blocking Detroit-Windsor bridge

Police in Ontario have begun to clear out people who’ve been blocking the Ambassador Bridge that connects Canada with Detroit in a protest against COVID-19 restrictions.

Police in Ontario have begun to clear out people who’ve been blocking the Ambassador Bridge that connects Canada with Detroit in a protest against COVID-19 restrictions. 

Officers in yellow vests gathered in rows near the bridge in Windsor Saturday morning and marched slowly toward the group, warning them verbally they could face criminal charges if they continue to occupy roadways. 

Dozens of demonstrators are still part of the blockade; they have backed up but refused to leave. Tow trucks have arrived to move their vehicles. There’s still no traffic moving from Detroit to Windsor on the bridge, according to Canada’s border agency. Those lanes have been closed since the protesters arrived Monday. 

As officers began their action, a number of the protesters moved to the middle of the roadway and began singing the Canadian national anthem. Some chanted “Freedom,” confronted officers or shouted profanities at them. 

“These are people who have been told by protest organizers that they’re violating no laws,” Michael Kempa, an associate professor of criminology at the University of Ottawa, told CBC News. “So the police have a tough challenge on their hands in that they’re constantly trying to demonstrate to people that their protest is, in fact, illegal. That’s why they’re moving so slowly. It’s just a constant communicative strategy.” 

Ontario’s Superior Court granted an injunction Friday to end the blockade, hours after Ontario Premier Doug Ford called a state of emergency in Canada’s largest province and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told protesters that it’s time to go home. A larger protest has been taking place for more than two weeks in Ottawa, where hundreds of semi trucks have blocked downtown streets, including the one in front of Canada’s parliament.