Canadian police say they are enforcing a court order to clear protesters occupying a key bridge on the Canada-US border, after a judge granted an injunction to end the blockade by people opposing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
The police action on Saturday comes after demonstrators on 400 trucks blocked the Ambassador Bridge, a vital link between Windsor, Ontario, prompting calls from US President Joe Biden to end the blockade. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised Biden quick action to end the crisis.On Friday, a judge granted an injunction to end the occupation, while the province of Ontario declared an emergency.
Hello, I’m Mersiha Gadzo and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of Canada’s truck protesters.CBC reporter Thomas Daigle has reported that Royal Canadian Mounted Police reinforcements have arrived at the protest site in Windsor including “officers in military-style gear”.
Toronto-Dominion Bank has frozen two personal bank accounts into which $1.1m had been deposited to support protesters fighting the government’s pandemic measures, a bank spokesperson has said.
TD applied with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Friday to take the funds, which were sent through GoFundMe and bank transfers, so they can either be sent to the intended recipients or returned to the donors “who have requested refunds but whose entitlement to a refund cannot be determined by TD,” the bank said in a statement.
Toronto police have expanded road closures in the city’s downtown area in advance of expected protests in solidarity with protests in Ottawa.
In a tweet, Toronto police said roads are closed from “Church Street to the east, Spadina Avenue to the west, Queen Street to the South, and Dupont Street to the north.
“All east to west traffic will be diverted,” it said earlier, with the exception of the city’s public transportation.Judy Trinh, reporter CBC News told Al Jazeera from Ottawa that, “within the red zone closest to Parliament Hill, there are still about 400 heavy transport trucks.
“Our largest shopping centre has not been open for 15 days. We are now going on day 16 of a protest, of an occupation, and someone would even use the word ‘siege’ that has locked down the city’s core,” Trinh said.
that what began as a protest movement to end COVID-19 restrictions has evolved into “talk of overthrowing the government” in the capital.
“They wanted to end vaccine mandates, they wanted to end restrictions for truckers; in order to work in Canada they had to get vaccinated, and that was also a restriction in the US,” Trinh said.
Judy Trinh told“That’s what it began with. But now there is talk of overthrowing the government here in the parliament. It is anti-government, and it is also highly motivated by forces who want to destabilise this democracy.”
Meanwhile in Paris, police have thrown volleys of tear gas grenades near the Arc de Triomphe monument to disperse protesters demonstrating against COVID-19 restrictions.
They also sprayed demonstrators in a separate march on the other side of the city.
Paris police intercepted at least 500 vehicles attempting to enter the French capital, in defiance of a police order, to take part in protests inspired by Canada’s “Freedom Convoy”.
Jacob Lorinc, reporter for the Toronto Star daily newspaper has said on Twitter that protesters have begun dismantling their main encampment.