Police in Windsor, Ont. work to clear Ambassador Bridge protest

Slowly but surely, police in Windsor, Ont. are moving in on demonstrators at the entrance to the Ambassador Bridge.

Slowly but surely, police in Windsor, Ont. are moving in on demonstrators at the entrance to the Ambassador Bridge.

“The OPP and the rest of our partners that are down here dealing with this are doing it in the safest manner possible. We've gone through all the steps that we can go through to try and resolve this peacefully through diplomacy, negotiation, and we're still working on that, we're still prioritizing human life, human safety, everybody, including the demonstrators, and we will get through this,” said Windsor police Deputy Chief, Jason Bellaire.

Just after 8 a.m. on day six of protests against COVID-19 mandates, police officers showed up on buses and fanned out across the base of the bridge.

Plain clothed officers began talking to those in vehicles asking them to leave, with about 10 passenger vehicles and three transport trucks leaving the scene to the cheers of other demonstrators.

As the last transport truck pulled away, the line of police officers began advancing forward with a larger gathering of demonstrators meeting police at the intersection of Huron Church Road and College Avenue.

Many people in the area are using mega phones and chanting “freedom!” and hurling insults at police.

When asked what his message is to protesters, Bellaire said he wants them to know that they’ve done their job in trying to send their message.