What began as a protest against a vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the U.S.-Canada border has ballooned into something much bigger. This past week, thousands have gathered in Ottawa as part of the “Freedom Convoy” and say they will remain there, filling the streets of the nation’s capitol, until Canada abandons its Covid-19 restrictions. Here’s more on how we got here:
How did the “Freedom Convoy” get its start?
The protest was a response to a new policy implemented on January 15th, which requires truckers crossing into Canada from the U.S. either be vaccinated or to quarantine for 14 days after returning. The “Freedom Convoy” began the following week, when the U.S. enacted a similar mandate. Dozens of protesters formed a convoy in western Canada, and the campaign picked up steam as they drove east toward Ottawa. Protesters have raised millions on GoFundMe and have caught the eye of Elon Musk, who tweeted “Canadian truckers rule,” and former President Donald Trump, who applauded them at a recent rally.
How protests shut down Ottawa:
The demonstration culminated in the Canadian capital. Thousands gathered there last weekend, while trucks clogged some of Ottawa’s main throughways. Many of them, the Canadian Trucking Alliance told the Wall Street Journal, have no ties to the industry but are present to protest the country’s pandemic restrictions more broadly.
Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly also said a “significant element” of the protesters are from the U.S. “They have converged in our city, and there are plans for more to come.”
“This thing has really taken on a life of its own,” a former member of Parliament told the New York Times.
Some protesters have been seen with Confederate flags and at least one had a flag with a swastika. Police said three people have been arrested so far for activities tied to their actions during the demonstration and about a dozen investigations are underway.
Since its height last weekend, the crowd has thinned out, with only a couple hundred protesters currently remaining, but police expect the demonstration to swell again this weekend. Organizers of the movement said they will remain in the city “for as long as it takes” until the mandates are lifted.
How have officials responded?
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made it clear that he would not reverse the vaccination mandate and urged demonstrators to “go home.” He said on Thursday that “the people of Ottawa deserve to have their lives back, deserve to have their neighborhoods back.”
Still, he insisted that he wouldn’t yet turn to the military to clear the crowds.
“This demonstration has been intolerable, unprecedented,” Sloly said. “The range of illegal, dangerous, and unacceptable activities is beyond the ability to list in the time we have here today.”
The donation site GoFundMe has also paused contributions to the cause after nearly $8 million had been raised.
