Canadian president Justin Trudeau took a strong stance and vowed he would continue his fight against those against covid mandates. "Mandates are the way to avoid further restrictions" he told the media which left many scratching head as mandates and restrictions are one in the same. He mandated things like 10 day quarantines when the science recognised by the rest of the world showed it should be 5. He said truck drivers must wear a mask even if they are alone in their vehicles, something we in the US laugh at and make memes about.
The trucker mandates became the last straw and Canadians, both vaccines and vaccinated alike, got together and decided the Canadian government had gone to far. In Canada like the US people have the right to protest, but their protections are no as vast as in the US. That didn't stop the cross country Freedom Convoy from being born.
Canada's 'Freedom Convoy': Thousands protest against vaccine mandates in in Ottawa
"What began as a protest by truckers against a vaccine requirement to carry loads between Canada and the United States brought thousands of people to the Canadian capital on Saturday to denounce the entire range of public health measures aimed at containing Covid-19. "
When the convoy arrived in Ottawa the Canadian state funded media attempted to play it down, saying it was only a few hundred people, racist extremist, who wanted nothing but hate and violence. That reporting didn't stand up to scrutiny and was a direct contradiction of what outlets like Reuters reported, their stories noted thousands of protesters all peaceful.
Reuters - Thousands stage peaceful protest in Ottawa against Canada's vaccine mandates
"OTTAWA, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Thousands held a loud but peaceful protest in Canada's capital Ottawa on Saturday against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's COVID-19 vaccine mandates, on the streets and snow-covered lawn in front of parliament."
As the truckers arrived Trudeau was whisked away reportedly suddenly having to quarantine because he came in contact with someone who had covid. Funny thing is under his own rules vaccinated people don't need to quarantine. I'll just leave it at that and let you come to your own conclusions. The convoy protesters multiplied by the day and Trudeau continued his accusations they they were extremist using the word nazi and trying to label them racist.
The Canadian government even went as far as attempting to confiscate Go Fund Me money raised, using the power of government to coerce a US company. Go Fund Me buckled and decided they would redirect those funds to causes that they deemed need it. That didn't work well though, US attorney generals from several republican states threatened to sue on behalf of state residents who donated and felt Go Fund Me had committed fraud. The convoy is still going strong, now blocking a major route between US and Canada which is illegal so one can make up their own mind on legitimacy of that.
The Canadian convoy whose honking became their trade mark has inspired many around the world, with France joining the call to stand up for their freedom. French president Macron said he wanted to piss off the unvaccinated and the French responded saying they would piss him off. In solidarity with Canada, they too started a freedom convoy. More honks heard on the other side of the globe.
"Freedom convoy" in France, inspired by Canadian protests, gets underway
"Protesters gathered in southern France on Wednesday for what they say will be a "freedom convoy" that will converge on Paris and Brussels to demand an end to COVID-19 restrictions, inspired by Canada's anti-mandate protests.
Seen waving Canadian flags, the protesters said they planned to head first to Paris, then on to Brussels -- headquarters of the European Union -- to demand, among other things, the scrapping of rules barring people from public venues if they don't have a COVID-19 vaccination.
The convoy was made up of motorcycles and private cars, but no trucks."
France isn't the only place that's answering the call, it has gone down under as far as New Zealand, a nation known for it's uncommonly strict covid restrictions. The citizens there gather flying Canadian flag and some hold signs in support of Trump as police make arrests to try to disband the protest.
Covid: New Zealand Convoy Mimics Protests in Canada
"A convoy of cars and camper vans blocked streets around New Zealand’s parliament in Wellington to protest Covid-19 restrictions, attempting to mimic the truckers who have gridlocked the Canada’s capital of Ottawa.
About 2,000 protesters descended on downtown Wellington from around the country, parking their vehicles in streets around parliament buildings, disrupting traffic and holding speeches on parliament grounds. Their main complaint was vaccine mandates, though they appeared to represent various groups. A few held flags supporting former U.S. President Donald Trump.
The convoy was timed to coincide with parliament reconvening for the year and was similar to the one held in the Australian capital of Canberra yesterday. Some protesters held Canadian flags in support of the truckers in Ottawa who have been blockading the city for more than a week. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she had no intention of engaging with the protesters."
Netherlands, Austria, the UK and Australia have also formed freedom convoys with the US said to be working on it's own. In response like clockwork, the US government created policy that would deem them terrorist. That might fly in places like Canada, France, Austria and New Zealand but this is America where your right to peacefully protest is absolutely guaranteed. With so many behind it one can argue opposing politicians are on the wrong side of history
Many argue these hundreds of thousands of protesters don't represent the majority but they sang a different tune when it was hundreds of thousands of BLM and Antifa rioting in the streets. So lets see if this worldwide movement has the same effect as in Canada where 4 out of 10 provinces have lifted restrictions.