Canadian police moved Sunday to clear and arrest protesters near a major U.S. border bridge who oppose vaccination mandates and other coronavirus restrictions.

Television footage showed police arresting the few remaining protesters shortly after dawn on the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit with Windsor, Ontario, and is the busiest crossing point between the two countries.

Windsor police reported 12 people were arrested and seven vehicles were towed.

Only two trucks and less than twenty demonstrators still blocked access to the bridge before the police began their action. Shortly after, police barriers were in place and it was unclear when the bridge would be open again.

On Saturday, police convinced protesters to remove their trucks and other vehicles that were blocking the bridge, through which 25% of trade between the two countries passes.

In the capital, Ottawa, there were around 4,000 protesters, according to police. In recent days, discontent has grown in the city due to weeks of protests, loud music and people camping in the center of the capital.

On Sunday in Ottawa, a counter-protest broke out from neighbors trying to stop trucks from entering the city center.

The protests on the bridge, in Ottawa and in other parts of the country have had repercussions abroad. Similar caravans have sprung up in France, New Zealand and the Netherlands. US authorities have warned that similar protests could take place in the country.

A former minister in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has taken the unusual step of denouncing her former government colleagues for failing to take action to end the unrest.

“Unbelievably, this isn’t just happening in Ottawa, our nation’s capital,” former minister Catherine McKenna tweeted. “And yet no one – not the city, not the province, not the federal government – ​​seems capable of putting an end to this illegal occupation. It’s incredible… They need to get organized. NOW”.

Trudeau has so far rejected calls to deploy the armed forces, although he has stressed that “all options are on the table” and called the protesters “extremists” on the fringes of Canadian society.

Ottawa police said in a statement Saturday evening that a joint command center had been established alongside the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Officials said it would boost law enforcement capabilities that had been limited by “security concerns – stemming from the aggressive and illegal behavior of many protesters – limiting police capabilities.”

Earlier, police issued a statement calling the protest an illegal occupation and saying they were waiting for reinforcements before implementing a plan to end the protests.

“We will continue to impose order in the protest zone and there will be no tolerance for any illegal activity. “Citizens should stay away from the area,” Windsor police said.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency last week for the capital, where hundreds of trucks remained outside the Parliament buildings and protesters set up portable toilets outside the Prime Minister’s office. minister, where Trudeau’s motorcade usually parks.

It’s unclear when the bridge will reopen, but Windsor Mayor Drew Kiklens expressed hope it would be within the next few hours.

“Today the national economic crisis that we suffered on the Ambassador Bridge is over,” Kiklens later said.

“Border crossings will resume when it is safe to do so, and I will leave that decision to the police and border agencies,” he added.

The blockades caused great anger among the population.

“The entire city is furious at being abandoned by those who are supposed to protect us. They have completely abandoned law enforcement. The Ottawa police have failed,” tweeted Artur Wilczynski, head of national security at Canada’s Ministry of Security and Communications.

At the western edge of North America, another blockade broke out; between Surrey, British Columbia and Blaine, Washington.

It came a day after Canadian authorities reported that a few vehicles had driven through police barriers and a crowd had entered the area on foot.

Canadian police released a statement saying that while no one was injured in this event, the actions were dangerous and are under investigation.

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MP for Windsor, Gillies from Toronto and Ted Shaffrey from Ottawa.