(Windsor, Ontario) A concert of truck horns sounded Friday afternoon in Windsor, despite the injunction granted by the Superior Court of Ontario to release the Ambassador Bridge connecting the province to Michigan as of 7 p.m.
Posted at 6:39 p.m.
“We are here for freedom,” exclaims Laura Zalucki, a Canadian flag tied around her neck. The resident says she spent the day alongside the truckers. Near her, protesters stand in the middle of Huron Church Road leading to the Ambassador Bridge.
A stretch of about two kilometers of this road is closed, with trucks standing still at each end, displaying messages such as “end of compulsory vaccination” and “freedom”. Between the vehicles, tents shelter food in order to supply the demonstrators.
At the foot of the bridge, Frank Freiesen has no intention of leaving anytime soon. “I’ll stay as long as it takes,” says the Windsor resident. “The freedom convoy doesn’t seem to be making any progress in stopping the mandatory vaccination in Ottawa, so I decided to join the movement,” he says.
Windsor Police have warned they will take action soon.
“We advise that anyone who blocks streets or assists others in blocking streets may commit a criminal offence,” police wrote in a statement.
The mayor of Windsor said he remained hopeful of a “peaceful and negotiated resolution”.
“Local, regional and national law enforcement will collaborate and coordinate how best to respond to this court ruling and seek to reopen the Ambassador Bridge,” Drew Dilkens wrote in a statement.
Injunction for the auto sector
Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz granted the Auto Parts Manufacturers Association the injunction that was to take effect at 7 p.m. Friday night.
In its submissions, the association said the border blockade was costing the industry millions of dollars every day as it forced factories to cut production. A lawyer for an anonymous group of protesters had argued that they were not blocking all lanes of the road, so an injunction was not necessary.
The protests have affected three of Toyota’s plants in Canada, prompted Ford Canada to cut capacity at its Oakville and Windsor plants, and reduced manufacturing capacity at Stellantis and Honda Canada.
With The Canadian Press