Friday came to a dramatic end at the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor, Ontario to Detroit. Canadian truckers with the "Freedom Convoy" defied the 12 midnight order from police to clear the bridge.
Shortly after the midnight order, Mara MacDonald and Brandon Carr reported for Click on Detroit that most of the protesters had left the bridge to go home or check into hotels, though not all had. Those still present said they were willing to get arrested.
"It is so worth it, being arrested because I believe in this cause 100 percent, and I wouldn’t be anywhere else," said one person "I’ve always been a guy of beliefs, like standing up for my rights. If you don’t, they’ll be gone."
The truckers had defied the 7pm deadline to clear the bridge as well.
The day had been just full of updates. As Leah covered, Ottawa Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency over the truckers blocking the Ambassador Bridge to connect Windsor, Ontario to Detroit. Drivers will be fined up to $100,000 and face a year in jail and will have their personal or commercial driver’s licenses revoked, she reported.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has long vilified the truck drivers, as have other politicians and plenty of mainstream media, has continued to double down against them. He's promised "everything's on the table," as Keith Griffith and Harriet Alexander with DailyMail.com reported, including how he was not ruling out the "eventuality" of using the military.
Trudeau also tweeted a similar sentiment. When it comes to "everything," though, some pointed out that that could include the prime minister giving the truckers what they want, which is an end to vaccine mandates and other COVID restrictions.
If every option is on the table... then you have the option to END THE MANDATES.
— Tim Young ?? (@TimRunsHisMouth) February 12, 2022
The "especially if you have kids with you" was a thinly-veiled threat, from a man no one fears, who commands a force that doesn't have the numbers to stop what's happening.
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) February 12, 2022
This was a very desperate tweet.
In addition to Ford's state of emergency, Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz granted a 10-day injunction on Friday to make blocking the bridge illegal, Griffith and Alexander also mentioned.
On Twitter, "Trudeau" was also trending on Friday for his conversation with President Joe Biden about the blocking of the bridge.
As Griffith and Alexander discussed in their report:
'President Biden and I both agreed that for the security of people and the economy, these blockades cannot continue,' Trudeau said at a press briefing on Friday.
'Make no mistake, the border cannot and will not remain closed.
'Everything is on the table because this unlawful activity has to end, and it will end.'
Trudeau did not offer specifics on a police action at the Ambassador Bridge, which is now widely expected after the provincial premier of Ontario declared a state of emergency.
Trudeau called Ontario's decision to declare a state of emergency 'responsible and necessary' and said he spoke with Biden about Americans backing the protest.
'We discussed the American and indeed global influences on the protest,' Trudeau said.
'We talked about the U.S.-based flooding of the 911 phone lines in Ottawa, the presence of U.S. citizens in the blockade and the impact of foreign money to fund this illegal activity.'
During her press briefing that day, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki made reference to the conversation:
So here you go: Today — Prime Minister Trudeau was obviously a part of the planned meeting as well. He also had a separate meeting with him where he — they discussed the ongoing blockade of key bridges and crossings between the United States and Canada, including Detroit/Windsor, Sweetwater/Coutts, and Pembina/Emerson.
The two leaders agreed that the actions of the individuals who are obstructing travel and commerce between our two countries are having significant direct impacts on citizens’ lives and livelihoods.
The President expressed his concern that the United States — that United States companies and workers are experiencing serious effects, including slowdowns in production, shortened work hours, and plant closures. The Prime Minister promised quick action in enforcing the law. And the President thanked him for the steps he and other Canadian authorities are taking to restore the open passage of bridges to the United States.
In turn, the Prime Minister also thanked the President and his administration, the Governor of Michigan, and U.S. officials for all of the assistance that we have provided to resolve the disruption. And the two leaders agreed to stay in close touch.
Psaki did not appear to address the freedom from mandates that the truckers are seeking.
When it comes to Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan's Democratic governor whom Trudeau is so thankful for, as Julio reported, she told CNN's Brianna Keilar that it's "incredibly unhelpful and downright dangerous" for conservative media to encourage the truckers, which Whitmer described as "inciting and encouraging people to break the law."
The White House is desperately trying to make you look to Eurasian border disputes so you don't notice the coming crackdown on the trucker uprising
— Honkmaster Poso ?? (@JackPosobiec) February 11, 2022
The world is also watching to see if Russia will invade Ukraine this weekend, while the Beijing Olympics continue on. Human Events' Jack Posobiec theorized on Twitter that the Biden administration is discussing what's going on there to distract from the Freedom Convoy.