On January 31 we reported on what’s been dubbed “Freedom Convoy 2022,” the trucker protests in Canada over COVID-19 vaccine mandates. As of today, these large protests are continuing dramatically, with American truckers possibly joining in the “Convoy” movement going forward. A February 5 piece from the Washington Post gives us some key updates and context about this trucker revolt. They note that the protests against both COVID-19 measures and Prime Minister Trudeau have entered their second weekend in a row, and much of Ottawa’s downtown is blockaded by the truckers. Officials are characterizing the protests as an “occupation.” And it is not just Ottawa; around Canada, from Toronto and Quebec to Alberta where a key US-Canada crossing is under a blockade. As of February 5, the Ottawa’s police chief Peter Sloly reported about a thousand vehicles, 5,000 supporters, and 300 counter protesters clogging his city’s streets. “This city is under siege,” offered Sloly. “This is a threat to our democracy. There’s a nationwide insurrection—-This is madness.” Giving a sense of the demonstrators’ mood, a man rode his horse on the main road near Parliament waving his “Trump 2024” flag. While the mainstream media seeks to classify the protest cohorts as a horde of angry right wingers the truth is far more complex. This mass of disgruntled, angry and nonconformist humanity ranges across not only the working classes but also small business owners and other angered, perhaps even mortally wounded, economically, by two years of top-down, centralized pandemic rule. The reality is that the pandemic has led to economic winners and losers and it’s not a fair depiction to over-simplify, categorizing the dissenters as either right or left, conservative or liberal, and the like.
“It’s Been Hell”
The impetus for the convoy was rules mandating that cross-border truckers be vaccinated in order to enter either the US or Canada, and it has “ballooned” into a protest against COVID-19 measures in general and also the prime minister. Canada Unity, a main organizer of the convoy, called on Queen Elizabeth II’s representative in Canada, the governor general, to overturn the COVID-19 measures or to change the government, action the Post describes as, “measures far outside their constitutional powers.”
One protestor who came from Flesherton, about 322 miles away, noted, “When you don’t give people choices about what they do with their own bodies, it’s a big problem.” Drawing mixed reviews, the protests have been praised by Fox News, Donald Trump, and Elon Musk, whiling leaving residents, “on edge.” Local Karen Nielsen, notes that “it’s been hell—-It has been so loud. Our living rooms are full of exhaust fumes and our dogs are scared. But we also can’t go outside without someone saying something to us. We can’t be masked without being harassed.”
$10 Million Canadian
While protesters are “digging in” and have put up tents, makeshift kitchens, and kids’ entertainments. Sloly has been criticized for a lenient reaction to the blockade, and now says that police would harden the perimeter of the protests and deploy 150 extra police to deliver the message that, “the lawlessness must end.” Ottawa police claim that the convoy is getting both “national and international logistical and financial support,” including significant help from the US. At the same time, GoFundMe said Friday that the convoy’s fundraiser violated its terms of service, as law enforcement information shows, “that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation.” A GoFundMe campaign had raised over $10 million Canadian dollars (as discussed below later usurped). On Saturday, a new fund drive on another website had mustered over $1.3 million. According to other media reports, US truckers have posted on social media that similar protests may, “be in the planning stage for Washington D.C.” And it appears that in only a few days, folks formed a Facebook page connected to a possible upcoming US convoy.
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“Siege” on Democracy; Local Yelled At
Also on February 5, The New York Times offered another view of this unfolding drama. They note that the demonstration was expanded Saturday and has spread to Toronto and Quebec City. They also note that police have compared the convoy to a “siege” on democracy. And while the protests began over the vaccine mandates, it has, “grown into a catchall movement for a variety of antigovernment causes, laying bare deep resentments within Canada’s political right” to other ideological representation from the working class, small business owners, and other interests economically hurt by the pandemic or fundamentally opposed to these vaccine mandates.
And while officials have been ready for rowdy folks and the possibility of violence, the atmosphere Saturday night was “mostly peaceful and festive,” if boisterous. The aforementioned Chief Sloly notes, “This is a siege. It is something that is different in our democracy than I’ve ever experienced in my life—-We do not have sufficient resources to adequately and effectively address this situation,” while also handling other police duties. Catherine McKenney, a local city councilor noted, “I’m receiving hundreds — and I’m not exaggerating — hundreds of emails telling me: ‘I went out to get groceries, I got yelled at, I got harassed. I got followed down the street, I’m so afraid that I can’t go out.’”
Protests Spread Across Canada
Saturday, the Ottawa police noted they have, “received 400 calls related to the demonstrations since they began, resulting in 50 investigations and four people being charged.” In this area, lots of businesses have been closed, leading to lost sales of tens of millions of dollars. And the open businesses have, “struggled to enforce provincial mask rules.” And government workers have put up concrete barriers using a, “surge and contain strategy.” Chief Sloly, noted, “The surge will deliver a clear message to the demonstrators: The lawlessness must end—-Our goal is to end the demonstrations.” In Quebec City, “dozens” of tractor-trailer cabs were parked “two deep” on three blocks of a major downtown artery street. And thousands of supporters cheered the protesters. Also, various-sized convoys gathered near the local legislatures in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia. And a tucker group has been blocking a US-Canada border crossing.
GoFundMe Cuts Off Truckers
More details come from the Ottawa Citizen, also on February 5. They note that the truckers were working on new funding sources after GoFundMe cut off access to about $10 million in Canadian dollars. The newest funding platform being used is GiveSendGo. By Saturday afternoon, they had received $1.3 million in new funds toward their $16 million goal. Saturday morning, money was coming in at a rate of over $70,000. Tamara Lich, a major organizer of the protests, noted that GoFundMe froze their account after releasing about $1 million. Lich noted that GiveSendGo, “will enable us to get donations into the hands of the truckers much, much quicker while everyone gets the rest of this stuff sorted out.—-We plan to be here for the long haul – as long as it takes to ensure that that your rights and freedoms are restored.” Friday, GoFundMe said that due to “the promotion of violence and harassment,” the fundraiser violated their terms of service. The charity site first said donators could get their funds back only upon request and that unclaimed money would go to “verified” charities. Yet after a “barrage of complaints” for donors, the company announced that, “all contributions will be automatically refunded directly to donors within seven to 10 business days.”
US Convoy Headed to D.C.?
On February 4, The Guardian weighed in, noting that the protests may spread down south in the US. Some American truckers, “are seeking to import” the movement from Canada, “with thousands of members on social media pledging to bring the demonstration to Washington DC next month.” The left-leaning Guardian noted that the protests have been, “linked to the far right” but TrialSite again suggests such stereotyping as suspect—based on various monitoring and research, the masses of people supporting these efforts appear to cross many demographic cohorts, from right to left yet one common theme suggests either those who are economically hurt during the pandemic or people fundamentally opposed to these vaccine mandates.
The Facebook group “Convoy to DC 2022” was up to 100,000 members and reportedly announced a convoy for March. Yet Facebook’s parent Meta notes, “We have removed this group for repeatedly violating our polices around QAnon.” Backers of the proposed US convoy note they are only demonstrating vaccine mandates which they believe are unconstitutional, and they deny any QAnon connection. Organizer Jeremy Johnson notes, “None of us are QAnon supporters or followers or anything like that—-We didn’t even have anything like that posted on our personal pages.” Another US organizer Brian Brase says the movement does not welcome “far-right” or “far-left” groups. “We don’t condone it or want it there. On either side—-All races, genders, sexual orientation, ethnicities, legal status are welcome—-This isn’t conservative or liberal.” This position, while contrary to how the mainstream media labels the entire unfolding effort, seems a more plausible explanation.