Key US-Canada border bridge remains closed after police clear blockade

Police moved in to clear and arrest the remaining protesters near a key US-Canadian border bridge early Sunday, trying to end one of the main demonstrations that have broken out across Canada against Covid-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions to bring the pandemic under control.

But although by the afternoon most protesters had gone and vehicles that were blocking the way had been removed, the bridge remained closed to traffic.

Television and social media images and clips showed officers detaining protesters and removing vehicles.

Only two pickup trucks and fewer than a dozen protesters had been blocking the road to the bridge after numbers dwindled overnight and before police moved in. Afterward, police barricades remained.

Police on Saturday had persuaded demonstrators to move their pickup trucks and others cars that they used at the entrance to the crossing that sees 25% of all trade between the two countries, though it remained closed.

In the Canadian capital, Ottawa, meanwhile, small-scale protesting there swelled to what police said were 4,000 demonstrators. The city has seen that on past weekends, and loud music played as people milled about downtown where anti-vaccine demonstrators have been encamped since late January.

The protests at the bridge and elsewhere have reverberated outside the country, with similarly inspired convoys in parts of France, New Zealand and the Netherlands, showing how small numbers can lead to huge disruption.

The US Department of Homeland Security warned that truck convoys may be in the works in the US.

Ottawa police said in a statement late Saturday that a joint command center had been set up together with the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Police earlier issued a statement calling the protest an unlawful occupation and saying they were waiting for reinforcements before implementing a plan to end the demonstrations.

On Friday, a judge ordered an end to the blockade of mostly pickup trucks and cars, and Ontario premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency allowing for fines of C$100,000 and up to one year in jail for anyone illegally blocking roads, bridges, walkways and other critical infrastructure.

With the bridge closed, auto plants on both sides have been forced to shut down or reduce production.