Ontario premier cracks down on Freedom Convoy as Americans call for truckers to protest in D.C.

The premier of Ontario on Friday cracked down on the "Freedom Convoy" protesters in the Canadian province, declaring a state of emergency as Americans call for truckers to head to Washington, D.C.

Hundreds of trucks have been parked for days in the capital city of Ottawa in protest of Canada's COVID-19 mandates.

"We will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure the border is reopened," Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in response to the park-in, according to the Daily Mail.

He threatened fines of up to $100,000 in Canadian currency (USD $80,000) and up to a year in prison if protesters don't end their "illegal occupation," CTV News reported.

"To the people of Ottawa under siege, I say we will ensure you're able to resume life and business as soon as possible," Ford also said.

Regarding the state of emergency orders, the premier said they will "make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure."

The order would also reportedly allow the province to provide "additional authority" to rescind personal and commercial licenses of protesters who refuse to leave.

"While these emergency orders will be temporary, we have every intention to bring new legislation forward that will make these measures permanent in law," Ford also said. "We are taking the steps necessary to support our police as they do what it takes to restore law and order."

Meanwhile, in the U.S., actor Ricky Schroder called for American truckers to shut Washington, D.C., and other Democratic cities in protest of the COVID vaccine mandates, Newsweek reported.

In an Instagram video, the 51-year-old, former "Silver Spoons" star said, "I think we see what we're facing here. It's an evil that is trying to be forced upon our children, upon us. God bless the Canadian truckers and the Canadian cowboys up there on the border.

"I heard a great potential event's gonna happen for us with our truckers. [They're] gonna maybe start mobilizing and doing what we need to do, which is shut down D.C., shut down Sacramento, shut down Albany, shut down these states and this capital until we root out this evil that was almost perpetrated on us. We were so asleep.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) also seems to like the idea of a similar convoy into the nation's capital. 

"I’m all for it," Paul told The Daily Signal on Thursday. "Civil disobedience is a time-honored tradition in our country, from slavery to civil rights, to you name it. Peaceful protest, clog things up, make people think about the mandates."