Canada truckers defy court order, continue to block key bridge at US border
- A judge issued an injunction ordering the protesters at the Ambassador Bridge to clear the area by 7pm, but even as the deadline passed, the rally has only grown
- PM Justin Trudeau says ‘everything is on the table’ to end the blockades, while Ontario’s premier declares a state of emergency
Truckers snarling a key bridge between Canada and the United States in protest at Covid-19 rules defied a judge’s order to leave on Friday night, with the crowd getting even bigger two weeks into the snowballing protest movement.
The days-long blockade of the Ambassador Bridge that connects Windsor, Ontario and the US city of Detroit, has paralysed a key North American trade route, piling pressure on Canadian leader Justin Trudeau to resolve the crisis.
A Canadian judge granted an injunction ordering the protesters – estimated to number a few hundred, along with several dozen trucks – to leave the bridge by 7pm, according to Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens.
But as the deadline passed, more protesters joined in to block the suspension bridge. Others piled into the capital Ottawa where the demonstration turned festive.
Authorities are under increasing pressure to crack down on the protests that have paralysed Ottawa, triggering a state of emergency in Ontario province and copycat demonstrations as far away as France and New Zealand.
03:20
Canada cracks down on anti-vax trucker protests, seize fuel and ban honking