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Canadian trucker strike6/24/2023 ![]() ![]() "A great deal of that was anonymous and clearly funded by American far-right actors," says David Hofmann, an associate sociology professor at the University of New Brunswick who studies far-right groups.Īs well, social media accounts are used to "feed far-right echo chambers, to make people think that the far-right elements of the truckers' convoy are more numerous and louder than they actually are," said Hofmann. ![]() Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed those protesters as a "small fringe minority."īut experts say there are "overt links" between the trucker convoy protest and an international coalition of far-right extremism.Ī GoFundMe campaign for the convoy raised $7.6 million (€6.65 million) before it was shut down (and the donations refunded). Some protesters have been seen wearing Nazi symbols and waving racist flags. Protesters distribute fuel to truckers occupying Ottawa's city center, who have come from all over the country Image: Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press via AP/picture alliance Far-right links Hundreds of cars and trucks joined the convoy as it traveled across Canada, arriving in Ottawa on January 28. Though over 80% of Canadians are vaccinated, and polls show that a broad majority of Canadians support COVID-19 measures, that support has been slipping in recent weeks. Some of the convoy's organizers - prominent far-right figures - have espoused Islamophobic or white nationalist rhetoric in the past. The truckers' convoy quickly morphed into a broader crusade against pandemic restrictions and other far-right grievances. While roughly 90% of cross-border truckers are vaccinated, there is a small minority who fear losing their jobs or livelihoods over their unvaccinated status. “We will actively look to identify you and follow up with financial sanctions and criminal charges,” he said, adding: “This investigation will go on for months to come.The "Freedom Convoy" originated late January in response to new coronavirus vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers imposed by Canada and the US. ![]() Protesters who were filmed by police and have left the city will be held to account, Bell said. But Abray said political division will not go away so easily. “We seem to have gotten over the hump,” Tim Abray told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC). “We’re not done with this operation yet,” Bell said, adding that over the “next several days” police will determine “how we maintain a presence and make sure that nobody returns to occupy our streets again”.įor the first time in weeks, there was only snow and silence downtown. Those arrested face 389 different criminal charges including obstructing police, disobeying a court order, assault, mischief, possessing a weapon and assaulting a police officer, Ottawa’s interim police chief, Steve Bell, told reporters. Other demonstrators abandoned positions in downtown during the night. On Saturday, police used pepper spray and stun grenades on protesters, clearing most of the area in front of parliament. “This was the base camp and we are cleaning up.“ “We were running support for the convoy and the people in the downtown core – food, fuel, basic necessities,” said Winton Marchant, a retired firefighter from Windsor, Ontario. Police handed out flyers, warning them to leave or risk arrest and a fine. Seventy-six vehicles had been towed, police said on Sunday, as stragglers packed up a logistics depot that the so-called “Freedom Convoy” had set up in a parking lot to supply protesters camped several kilometers away in front of parliament. The protesters initially wanted an end to cross-border Covid-19 vaccine mandates for truck drivers but the blockade turned into a demonstration against Trudeau. Demonstrators used hundreds of trucks and vehicles to block the city center since 28 January, prompting the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, to invoke rarely used emergency powers. ![]()
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