According to an article on The Blaze, the Canadian police have begun to enforce a ‘zero tolerance’ crackdown on protestors and have begun arresting people protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates on the Ambassador Bridge, located in Ottawa, the capitol city of Canada and located within the province of Ontario. The bridge connects Canada to Michigan in the United States. Ambassador Bridge is the busiest border crossing. Allegedly, the protests are costing an estimated $392.56 million each day in cross-border transactions.
Protestors blockaded the Ambassador Bridge in solidarity with the ongoing Freedom Convoy protests opposing Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Windsor police said on Sunday morning that they had already made several arrests and that protesters will face a charge of “mischief” when arrested, per NBC News. The Windsor Police said, “Enforcement actions continue at the demonstration area” and “there will be zero tolerance for illegal activity.”
The Police Chief of Ottawa, Peter Sloly, told reporters that reinforcements from Canada’s federal government would be necessary to break up the protests citing the Freedom Convoy’s dedication and commitment to protesting. Sloly said, “This is an entirely sophisticated level of demonstrators. They have the capability to run strong organization here provincially and nationally, and we’re seeing that play out in real-time.”
The article claims the Biden administration has recently urged the Canadian government to use force to break up the peaceful Freedom Convoy protests. Gretchen Whitmer, the Governor of Michigan, said in an interview that “The Canadian government has to do whatever it takes to safely and swiftly resolve [the blockade].” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he was working with his country’s Incident Response Group to “make sure municipal, provincial, and federal authorities have what they need to end the blockades and protect public safety.”
Trudeau is receiving dismal poll numbers over his response to the protest. Only 16% of Canadians “want to vote for him because of how he has dealt with the situation.” Despite of or, perhaps. because of, the Canadian government’s crackdown on the Convoy, the protestors inspired a global movement. Protests advocating similar anti-covid restrictions and perceived abusive and irrational behavior by various governments has led to convoys in New Zealand, France, Austria and Israel.
The United States Department of Homeland Security is monitoring the developing American Freedom Convoy.