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Anti-restriction protesters set out from London Saturday morning to support the blockade of Windsor’s Ambassador Bridge, which is in the process of being dismantled amid heavy police watch.
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About 50 passenger vehicles gathered in a parking lot on Wellington Road, south of Highway 401, around 9 a.m. for the convoy to Windsor.
Some of the vehicles flew Canadian flags while others had People’s Party of Canada flags. Some families with children were among the convoy participants. The procession left London at shortly after 9:30 a.m.
The London-to-Windsor convoy comes less than 24 hours after the Ontario Superior Court granted an injunction intended to end the occupation that has snarled traffic at North America’s busiest border crossing since Monday.
The court order took effect at 7 p.m. Friday.
Windsor police announced on social media Saturday morning that enforcement efforts to end the Ambassador Bridge blockade had begun.
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A demonstration by anti-restriction and anti-vaccine mandate protesters has also closed a section of Highway 402 near Watford, since Wednesday. Protesters have blocked the westbound lanes of the highway with farm equipment and set up a makeshift base camp at the roadside.
A leading voice of the 402 blockade, David Buurma, has encouraged an uptick in participation this weekend.
The latest London to Windsor convoy demonstration echoes the larger trucker protest that’s been occupying downtown Ottawa for weeks.
The Ottawa demonstration, which has attracted truck drivers and supporters from across the country, began in opposition to the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for truckers and has since become a movement against pandemic restrictions and vaccination requirements in general.
Other Canadian cities, including Toronto and Winnipeg, have seen similar demonstrations in recent weeks. London police took to social media on Friday warning of potential traffic disruptions from possible anti-restriction convoy protests in the city Saturday. A similar event rolled through London last weekend, with no lasting impact.
https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/london-convoys-leaves-for-all-but-dismantled-ambassador-bridge-blockade
