Anti-vaccine mandate truckers who blockaded a bridge linking Ontario and Michigan were packing up their BBQs and taking down their tents Saturday after police moved in to end the 6-day protest.

Just after 8 a.m., police in Windsor, Ontario said they were beginning enforcement of a judge’s order issued Friday night to clear the Ambassador Bridge.

“The Windsor Police & its policing partners have commenced enforcement at and near the Ambassador Bridge. We urge all demonstrators to act lawfully & peacefully. Commuters are still being asked to avoid the areas affected by the demonstrations at this time,” the department posted on Twitter.

The judge’s order, combined with a state of emergency declared by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, enabled backups from the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to move in, forming a huge police presence, including snipers on rooftops, according to reporters on the scene.

But once the enforcement began, most of the protesters left without any resistance, according to Sean O’Shea of Canada’s Global News.

One hardcore group promised to “hold the line,” CBC News reported, but others among the central part of the protest were dismantling their encampment as the police cleared demonstrators out.

The bridge blockade, which began Monday, prevented roughly $700,000 in goods from crossing between the US and Canada, forcing Ford Motor Co. and General Motors to shut down production at plants on both sides of the border, along with creating shortages in some Canadian stores.

The mood changed quickly Saturday after the protesters rose with the sun vowing to continue their fight against vaccine mandates and other coronavirus restrictions. Prior to the police enforcement, the protesters spent the morning gathering in small groups, discussing their strategies for keeping the bumper-to-bumper demonstration going.

It was not clear if police would take similar tactics at the larger protest about seven hours to the east in the Canadian capital of Ottawa, which began Jan 28. The Ottawa Citizen reported Saturday that there are signs of building protests from both the anti-vax mandate side and citizens in the city who are tired of “effectively being held hostage.”

Protesters in the capital showed no signs they were planning to leave, and Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said the most recent intelligence indicated the city could expect a demonstration this weekend similar to what it saw last weekend, the paper reported – meaning about 1,000 trucks and vehicles and 5,000 demonstrators. Community groups and labor associations were expected to hold counter-demonstrations, with the pair of protests scheduled to begin at about noon.

In Toronto, where a third weekend protest was also expected, police put up road blocks around the city earlier in the week to prepare for the demonstration, Toronto City News reported, though it was unclear whether it would take place. Around 2,000 demonstrators attended a Feb. 5 Toronto protest.

The Canadian protests have prompted similar demonstrations in other countries, including as far away as New Zealand, where demonstrators blocked roads as protesters rallied outside Parliament, the New Zealand Herald reported.

In Paris, French police fired tear gas at demonstrators on the Champs Elysees avenue Saturday shortly after a “Freedom Convoy” protesting against COVID-19 restrictions made its way into the capital, according to a report.

Cars carrying protesters managed to get through some police checkpoints in central Paris to bottle up traffic around the Arc de Triomphe monument.

Earlier Saturday morning, Paris police said they stopped at least 500 vehicles attempting to enter the capital in defiance of a police order, to partake in vaccine-mandate protests. Authorities also said that more than 200 tickets were handed out to motorists.

Roughly 7,000 officers mobilized for the weekend protests in the City of Light.

With Post wire services.