Police in Ontario, supplemented by hundreds of Royal Canadian Mounties, began to clear the Ambassador Bridge on Saturday morning.
An Ontario judge had given the protesters until 7 p.m. on Friday to clear the bridge — a critical link between the United States and Canada. But dawn’s early light showed the protesters still there.
Police, wearing yellow safety vests, moved into place around 8:45 a.m. local time, according to CBC News, directing protesters to clear the bridge. CBC reporters also noted that police brought several armored vehicles and that law enforcement had formed a blockade.
Windsor police announced on Twitter that they have “commenced enforcement” of a court order demanding that the convoy leave the Ambassador Bridge.
“The Windsor Police & its policing partners have commenced enforcement at and near the Ambassador Bridge,” the department noted on social media. ‘We urge all demonstrators to act lawfully & peacefully. Commuters are still being asked to avoid the areas affected by the demonstrations at this time.”
So far, the blockade appears to be dissolving peacefully.
Dozens of police officers approached protesters at the foot of the bridge on the Canadian side — in the city of Windsor — after 8 a.m. ET. There were some early signs some protesters were moving away on their own, dismantling a makeshift tent area where they received food and shelter.
Some pedestrians remained near an intersection on a road leading to the bridge around 10 a.m., including some talking to or yelling at a line of standing police officers. No arrest was immediately seen by a CNN crew there. Around 20 protest vehicles remained.
The protesters have also blocked two other international border crossings in Manitoba. There has been no move by law enforcement to clear those bridges.
Related: GiveSendGo Mocks Ontario Government’s Effort to Freeze Freedom Convoy Donations
There has also been a Freedom Convoy in Paris.
Paris police confronted the convoy at the Arc de Triomphe monument, firing tear gas at protesters who exited stopped vehicles and climbed on to the hoods and roofs of cars parked in the roundabout surrounding the monument.
French police, aware of the coming convoy, set up checkpoints around Paris. Officials told Reuters that they stopped around 500 vehicles entering the city and handed out 300 tickets. Some drivers, however, managed to skirt police checkpoints and enter central Paris.
In addition to the “Freedom Convoy,” French officials expect at least two marches against COVID-19 restrictions to take place in Paris on Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Freedom Convoy is still organizing and probably won’t be ready to kick off for another few days. DHS has been warning law enforcement around the U.S. that the Convoy may begin on Super Bowl Sunday, which is tomorrow, but that proved to be incorrect.
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