Canadian police on Saturday are trying to remove "Freedom Convoy" demonstrators from the Ambassador Bridge that connects Ontario to Michigan in the latest attempt to free up North America's busiest land border crossing.
A number of police officers approached protesters on the Canadian side of the bridge in Windsor, Ontario Saturday morning, prompting some protesters to clear tenting areas. Others obeyed law enforcement's orders to remove their vehicles from the bridge.
But several other demonstrators vowed to stay and peacefully protest against Canada's vaccine mandate.
"We're staying here for our rights, we're not just walking out of here after this," one protester told Fox 2. "We've gone around and policed ourselves. We've said there's no way anybody intends to get violent."
This, despite Windsor police saying in a tweet late Saturday morning that they could begin arresting demonstrators.
"Enforcement continuing, individuals who are located within the demonstration area are subject to arrest," the post read. "People are advised to immediately vacate the area."
This comes just one day after a Canadian judge issued an injunction allowing police to begin clearing the bridge, giving demonstrators until 7 p.m. Friday night to end the blockade.
"One by one, we'll start towing the cars if required," Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said Friday, just hours ahead of the 7 p.m. deadline.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also declared a state of emergency on Friday, threatening "severe" consequences such as fines of up to $100,000 and up to a year in prison for demonstrators on the bridge and elsewhere in the province.
Protests have blocked traffic at three Canada-U.S. border crossings after Canadian truckers conveyed to Ottawa to protest COVID-19 restrictions. Supporters later joined in to protest the mandates requiring Canadian truckers crossing the border to be fully vaccinated or be forced into a two-week quarantine once they return.
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