Truck drivers protesting a COVID-19 vaccine mandate in Canada bucked a court order calling for an end to a days-long bridge blockade this week.
On Saturday morning, protesters remained on Ambassador Bridge, one of the most vital Canada-U.S. border crossings for trade, despite a Canadian judge’s order issued Friday for the blockade to end, Reuters reported.
Canadian Superior Court Justice Geoffrey Morawetz approved a request for the order from the auto industry in an effort to stop the protests and reopen the trade route.
The justice’s order went into effect at 7 p.m. Friday night, but nearly 100 protesters were seen at the entrance of the bridge with Canadian flags almost five hours later, the news outlet noted.
Demonstrators reportedly continued to block the bridge with vans and trucks, halting traffic from entering or exiting.
“Canada is supposed to be a free country,” Liz Vallee, a protester from Chatham, Ontario, reportedly said. “When that freedom is threatened, we must stand up.”
Vallee vowed that she and others would stay on the bridge until vaccine mandates in the country are lifted, according to Reuters.
Protestors forced other road closures this week, blocking crossing from Montana to Alberta, Canada.
Police at the time warned protesters that they could be arrested without a warrant for their actions.
The Biden administration called on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week to take federal action in order to end the blockade. Trudeau has said that he is not considering calling in the military to manage the protests, Reuters reported.