The movement of protest “Freedom Convoy”, where truckers and anti-vaccines come together to oppose government restrictions and health passes arranged due to COVID-19, paralyzed for weeks Canadaand extends to key border crossings with United States, while gaining global momentum. It all started on January 28, when a convoy of vehicles, mostly trucks, surrounded Parliament Hill, interrupting traffic in the center of Ottawa, the Canadian capital.
The call: that all restrictions be lifted, including vaccination mandates and the use of masks. “There is a lot of repressed frustration and it is resonating not only throughout the country, but throughout the world,” they acknowledge in the Prime Minister’s government Justin Trudeau. “We are concerned that this will erode the acceptance of public health intervention in the future if the pandemic continues or if we have another pandemic,” they add. Trudeau, as Emmanuel Macron in France, they have been firm against anti-vaccines.
What also generated in the Gallic country, a counter-reaction that today marches towards Brussels to impose the debate on the European parliamentary agenda: inspired by Canadian truck drivers, French protesters set off last Wednesday from Nice, in the south of France, and set up a “freedom convoy” that will converge on the European Union headquarters , to demand the end of the restrictions by COVID-19.
The Belgian authorities banned all demonstrations in the capital with “motorized vehicles” and said that they had taken measures to avoid the blockade of the region. And police posted on social media that they will funnel the caravans to a parking lot on the outskirts of the city as the only place a static protest will be tolerated.
While, New Zealand and Australia Two replicas are organized: the “Convoy to Canberra” demonstration aims to stop the Australian capital by recruiting protesters from all over the country. Hundreds of cars and trucks have already blocked highways and attacked businesses, forcing the government to crack down. While in Wellington, the New Zealand police arrested more than 50 people – among the thousands of attendees – who will face charges of trespassing and obstruction after standing in front of Parliament.
The Australian protests have attracted a mix of protesters: they include supporters of the “sovereign citizens” movement who believes that people are not subject to certain laws, and conspiracy theorists in the style of Qanonthe movement that supported Donald Trump and participated in the taking of the capitol in Washington, seeking to prevent Joe Biden from being proclaimed president.
But also unions joined where workers are forced to get vaccinated, including teachers, doctors, nurses, police and military personnel. The same is happening with French teachers, who marched in Paris to oppose the controls imposed by the Ministry of Education. In all cases, the marches are nourished by different outraged: The French protest movement brings together those who oppose the sanitary pass required to access many public places, but also some angry about the increase in energy and food prices, issues that ignited the protests of the “yellow vests” that rocked France in late 2018 and early 2019.
And the pressure has weighed on the Macron government, which after initially hardening its stance, is now considering relaxing face mask mandates from February 28, and hopes to end the health passes that require vaccination in late March or early April.
Finally, in the United States, a version of the Canadian truckers’ protest is planning a similar demonstration: “The People’s Convoy” will start its caravan on March 4 and march to Washington, where other demonstrations have already been seen this week. “Our brothers and sisters of the road managed to open the eyes of Canadians to the unconstitutional mandates and hardships imposed on their people, and now is the time for the citizens of the United States to unite and demand the restoration of our constitutional right” , posted a statement on the Facebook page of the group that opposes vaccination requirements in businesses and workplaces.
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