State of emergency kicks in as Ottawa braces for third straight weekend of ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests

“Our message to you is do not come,” he said. “And if you do commit unlawful acts, there will be consequences.”

It was one of several warnings issued Friday to protesters of the self-styled “Freedom Convoy,” which has paralyzed the city. They have blockaded several U.S.-Canada border crossings, including economic symbols such as the Ambassador Bridge, a key trade route linking Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, and inspired similar protests abroad.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a provincial state of emergency on Friday, warning protesters of “severe” consequences, including fines up to $78,500 and prison terms. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed “real consequences” and an “increasingly robust police intervention.”

None of this seemed to perturb the protesters, who’ve also targeted border crossings in Manitoba and Alberta, as well as Sarnia in Ontario.

After an Ontario court issued an injunction ordering demonstrators at the Ambassador Bridge to leave by 7 p.m. on Friday night, a defiant crowd was still present at the bridge, which is a crucial corridor for the auto industry on both sides of the border. The blockade has disrupted auto plants as far away as Alabama.

At least five automakers — Ford, GM, Honda, Chrysler’s parent company, and Toyota — have experienced production disruptions at their U.S. or Canada plants due to the protests, according to news reports.

In Ottawa, the city said Friday that it would seek its own injunction “to address the actions of the protesters,” but a hearing has not yet been set. Demonstrators fist-pumped on Wellington Street, a main thoroughfare in front of Parliament, on Friday night to a DJ’s tunes. They continued to bring in fuel — and a big screen.

“These unlawful demonstrators are executing a very complex, very fluid, very sophisticated operation,” said Sloly.

The convoy started as a protest against U.S. and Canadian rules requiring truckers crossing the border to be fully vaccinated. But it has snowballed into a broader movement against pandemic restrictions more broadly — which are mostly imposed by the provinces — and the Trudeau government.

Officials have noted that 90 percent of Canadian truck drivers are fully vaccinated. The Canadian Trucking Alliance, a main industry group, has distanced itself from the protests. Many of the key organizers are not truckers, but figures in fringe extremist and anti-government groups. Some protesters have flown Confederate flags or flags with swastikas on them, while some Ottawa residents say they’ve been intimidated, subjected to racist vitriol and harassed for wearing masks.

Protesters have tapped into broader pandemic fatigue and benefited in part from foreign support, including from the United States. Trudeau said Friday that at least 50 percent of fundraising for the convoy on some websites has originated from Canada’s southern neighbor.

Right-wing political figures in the United States continued to express support for the Canadian demonstrators. “Civil disobedience is a time-honored tradition in our country,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), in an interview with the conservative website Daily Signal. He added: “I hope the truckers do come to America.”

Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.) chimed in on Friday in a tweet that criticized vaccine mandates and Trudeau, who has called the protests unlawful. “You know what’s unlawful? Forcing private businesses close their doors,” said the lawmaker, who also incorrectly referred to the vaccines as “experimental.” (Coronavirus vaccine shots that have completed clinical trials and been approved by regulators are not experimental.)

Several other Canadian cities, including Toronto and Edmonton, were anticipating protests this weekend.

Jeong reported from Seoul.

Read more:

Judge orders protesters to end blockade of Ambassador Bridge; Ontario premier declares state of emergency, threatens fines, prison time

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