'Anti-vaccine' Canadian truck protesters disperse at border bridge without clashes

Public Authority Enters Bridge... Leaves Scene Without Resistance

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Truck protesters occupying the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, the border bridge between Canada and the United States, opposing mandatory COVID-19 vaccination, dispersed without any significant physical clashes.

According to the Associated Press on the 12th (local time), Canadian police entered the Ambassador Bridge early that morning and ordered the protesters to disperse, after which the protesters left the site without resistance.

As the protesters departed, they honked their truck horns and shouted slogans such as "freedom," but no physical confrontations occurred.

The truck protesters, who had opposed the government’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for nearly a week, blocked the Ambassador Bridge, a key route for exporting automotive parts produced in Canada to the United States. This caused disruptions to automotive manufacturing facilities in the U.S. Midwest and Canada. Over $300 million worth of goods cross the Ambassador Bridge daily, accounting for about one-quarter of total trade between the U.S. and Canada.

In particular, as the halt in logistics affected automobile factories in Detroit, U.S., the U.S. government urged the Canadian government to resolve the situation promptly, signaling that the domestic issue was escalating into a diplomatic and trade matter.

The Canadian court ordered the protesters to lift the blockade and disperse, and the Ontario provincial government announced plans to impose penalties of up to one year imprisonment and fines of 100,000 Canadian dollars (approximately 94 million Korean won) on protesters who refuse to comply.

Regarding the dispersal of the protesters, Fran?ois-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, stated on his social media, "The illegal blockade has adversely affected trade, supply chains, as well as Canadian workers and businesses," adding, "I am pleased that law enforcement has entered the Ambassador Bridge."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.