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Canadian police have begun arresting people protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates on the Ambassador Bridge that connects Canada and the United States.
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.”
Protestors blockaded the Ambassador Bridge in solidarity with the ongoing Freedom Convoy protests opposing Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The Ambassador Bridge is Canada’s busiest border crossing, and the protests are costing an estimated $392.56 million a day in cross-border transactions.
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].”
The Ambassador Bridge connects Canada to the state of Michigan, so the blockade impedes the flow of goods to and from Michigan.
The Biden administration has also recently urged the Canadian government to use force to break up the peaceful Freedom Convoy protests.
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.”
Despite Trudeau’s “nice guy” public persona and popularity among leftwing political circles, it appears that his handling of the Freedom Convoy protests have soured his standing among his constituents.
Trudeau, who already leads a minority coalition in the Canadian government, 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.”
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.
He 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.”
Despite the Canadian government’s intense crackdown on the Freedom Convoy, the protestors inspired a global movement.
Protests in the vein of the Freedom Convoy have assembled in New Zealand, France, and Austria.
A group calling itself the “USA Trucker Convoy” is purportedly planning a Freedom Convoy-style protest in the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security is monitoring the developing American Freedom Convoy.
Source: TheBlaze
