Canada police have arrested protesters blocking access to the busiest international crossing in North America
A ‘Freedom Convoy’ has disrupted the life of Canada’s capital for over a fortnight, rallying against the nation’s COVID-19 rules.
It started as a movement against a vaccine mandate for cross-border drivers but has since turned into a rally against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The beginning of the end? police are now outnumbering protesters
Traffic on one of Canada’s most important trade routes was halted for almost a week.
But in the freezing cold… first thing Sunday morning, police came to oust the remaining protesters blocking a key bridge between Canada and the United States.
Two of the world’s biggest carmakers, Ford and Toyota, said plants had been forced to shut because car parts were being held up at two border points.
The clearing effort first began on Saturday morning, when many of the vehicles involved left peacefully on police orders
Within 24 hours only a few protestors remained, with police vehicles blocking off the road rather than protestors.
Police say Sunday’s action resulted in “several arrests” on a charge of mischief and Multiple vehicles were seized.
The arrests follow a judge’s order on Friday to break up the protest and the Premier of Ontario declaring that protesters can also be fined $100,000 dollars.
The protest has already cost the country hundreds of millions of dollars in lost trade.
It may be the beginning of the end in Canada, but the convoy has inspired others around the world to stage similar action, congesting city roads and attracting attention, from France to New Zealand.
Paris saw hundreds of vehicles converge on the city, Police throwing tear gas at protesters in cafes.
Protesters from France are planning to move on to Brussels – to join up with a wider European movement
And so the vehicles may be gone in Canada, but the freedom movement remains.
