'Freedom Convoy' Demonstrations Continue for 3rd Straight Weekend in Canada (+Video)

Police in Windsor, Ontario, said Saturday morning that they had “commenced enforcement” at the Ambassador Bridge, a key trade corridor to Detroit. By late morning, police had begun steadily pushing protesters away from the bridge. Late Saturday night, protesters and police were at a stalemate near the barricaded bridge, The Washington Post reported.

Across the Atlantic, French protesters, galvanized by their Canadian counterparts, temporarily blocked the fabled Champs-Élysées, a central artery in Paris, despite an order banning them from entering the capital.

As another week drew to a close, the global spread of a movement that began with a minority of Canadian truckers objecting to vaccination requirements had come into focus. From Europe to Australia, demonstrations replicating the tactics and slogans of the Canadian convoy mounted challenges to authorities. Politicians and police sought to contain protests with mixed results, as threats of punishment did little to deter demonstrators who vowed to return in the weeks to come.

It was one of several warnings issued Friday to protesters of the self-styled “Freedom Convoy,” which has taken over the capital city. Protesters have blockaded several U.S.-Canada border crossings and inspired similar protests abroad. Protesters turned up anyway.

Police officers by the Ambassador Bridge on Saturday stood in a line in front of blockaders on one side, while some police vehicles were stationed on the opposite side. They were accompanied by buses, including a school bus, and ambulances.

Windsor police tweeted Saturday evening that they were towing and ticketing vehicles there.

Some vehicles began moving away from the area, while demonstrators on foot displayed the Canadian flag and sang the country’s national anthem, chanting “Freedom!” periodically. Protesters began dismantling tents at the site and packing up grilling supplies.

A wall of police officers slowly pushed protesters away from the bridge, warning that demonstrators would be arrested if they did not leave.

But more people on foot had swelled the protesters’ ranks by early afternoon, with demonstrators appearing to outnumber police officers, according to reporters from the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. News, Canada’s public broadcaster.

Hundreds of people joined a counter protest Saturday afternoon in Ottawa, marching and chanting “Whose streets? Our streets!” and “Hey hey, ho ho, this trucker convoy has got to go!”