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Police try to clear protesters protesting in Canada

2022-02-12T22:11:46.693Z


Canadian police attempt to clear protesters blocking the Ambassador Bridge to the United States over covid-19 restrictions.


Businesses in the US express concern over Canadian blockades 0:46

Windsor, Ontario (CNN) --

Police in Canada on Saturday began an attempt to evict protesters from the Ambassador Bridge across from Detroit, seeking to end a six-day blockade of North America's busiest international crossing by of protesters who denounce the measures to contain covid-19.

Dozens of police officers approached protesters near the bridge on the Canadian side, in the city of Windsor, after 8:00 am (Miami time).

Some protesters walked away on their own, dismantling an area of ​​makeshift tents where they received food and shelter.

On Saturday morning some pedestrians stood near an intersection on a road leading to the bridge, including some talking or yelling at a line of police officers.

Neither arrest was seen by a CNN crew.

About 20 protest vehicles remained.

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Shortly before 11:00 a.m., Windsor police tweeted that law enforcement was still underway and warned that people in the area of ​​the rally were subject to arrest.

Police clear protesters and their vehicles from a blockade at the entrance to the Ambassador Bridge on Saturday morning in Windsor, Canada.

The move comes a day after a judge issued an injunction allowing police to start clearing the bridge area and ending the blockade that has entangled supply chains and alarmed political leaders.

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The judge gave the protesters until 7:00 pm on Friday to end the blockade.

The number of protesters dwindled overnight and a few dozen vehicles remained parked at the foot of the bridge as the sun rose Saturday, a CNN crew on the scene said.

More protesters eventually moved away, even after police officers entered on Saturday morning.

Vehicles can be seized and impounded, Windsor police said after Friday's court order.

"One by one, we will start towing the cars if necessary," Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said Friday, a few hours before the deadline set by the judge.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford also declared a state of emergency on Friday, vowing "serious" consequences for those involved in blockades on the bridge and elsewhere in the province, including demonstrations in the capital of the province. nation, Ottawa.

People who do not leave the blockades could face a maximum penalty of C$100,000 and up to a year in prison, he said.

"So let me be as clear as possible, there will be consequences for these actions, and they will be serious. We have already started looking for the money that funds the illegal occupation," Ford said.

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Demonstrations in Canada began last month, with truckers traveling from the west to Ottawa to protest new rules requiring Canadian truckers crossing the US-Canada border to be fully vaccinated against covid-19 or face quarantine in their homes for two weeks when they return.

That protest drew other protesters across the country in resistance to other COVID-19 preventative measures, including restrictions on gatherings and mask mandates, especially in schools.

Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with about 4 in 5 Canadians fully vaccinated, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

And nearly 90% of the country's truckers are fully vaccinated and eligible to cross the border, according to the Canadian government.

Yet for two weeks, protesters have blocked off downtown Ottawa, prompting a judge to rule Monday that they must stop honking.

And the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor and Detroit is not the only border crossing affected.

Protesters also used semi trucks, and sometimes farm equipment and other vehicles, to block the crossings between Emerson, Manitoba, and Pembina, North Dakota, as well as at the Coutts access point between Alberta and Montana.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson told CNN that he expects more protesters this weekend.

"It's completely unacceptable," Watson said.

"Particularly in neighborhoods where some of the protesters go to restaurants and refuse to wear a mask and harass staff and are really belligerent with our city residents."

Police line up in Windsor on Saturday morning in preparation to enforce a court order against the demonstration near the Ambassador Bridge.

US Officials Warn Similar Protests Possible

The Canadian protests are raising concerns among US officials that similar demonstrations could be sparked across the border.

Right-wing media outlets have raised the possibility of like-minded protests in the US and have offered positive coverage of those in Canada.

The protests in Canada are already "incredibly damaging" to many in the US Midwest, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer told CNN on Friday, adding that the protests have been "hurting us in Michigan since the day one".

“We are in an economic crisis because of this illegal blockade,” which becomes a national security issue, Whitmer said.

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The US Department of Homeland Security warned state and local officials in a bulletin that a convoy of truckers protesting Covid-19 vaccination mandates could soon begin in the US, potentially affecting the Super Bowl in Southern California.

"The convoy will potentially start in California in mid-February and arrive in Washington in mid-March, which could affect Super Bowl LVI scheduled for February 13 and the State of the Union address scheduled for March 1," the bulletin said.

Also, a group in the US said it is organizing two truck convoys that will head to the US-Canada border in Buffalo on Saturday and Sunday.

However, the city said Friday that the group had not applied for permits to hold events.

“Organizers have also failed to contact our Office of Special Events to secure the appropriate insurance and public safety planning required for all events in the city to ensure the health and safety of residents and visitors. Buffalo city spokesman Michael DeGeorge told CNN.

"It's always a concern when laws that are designed to keep people and property protected are deliberately ignored."

A protester shouts slogans during a truckers' protest over pandemic health regulations in Ottawa on February 11.

How Canadian officials have responded to the demonstrations

Canadian officials have generally remained steadfast in their calls to end border blockades and protests in Ottawa, though those calls have often fallen on deaf ears.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated Friday that the demonstrations will end.

“If you joined the protests because you are tired of covid, now you need to understand that you are breaking the laws,” Trudeau said at a news conference on Friday.

"He doesn't want to end up losing his license, ending up with a criminal record, which will affect his job, his livelihood."

The Trudeau government said it will send more officers to protests across the country, adding that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada's national police force, continues to show decisive action.

CNN's Miguel Marquez and Kim Berryman reported from Windsor;

Jason Hanna wrote in Atlanta.

Aya Elamroussi, Paula Newton, Paradise Afshar, Paul P. Murphy, Sharif Paget, Christina Maxouris, Chris Isidore, Lucy Kafanov, and Geneva Sands contributed to this report.

coronavirus

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2022-02-12

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