A Message from Truckers: Get Off Your Phones!! | 2/28/23

A Message from Truckers: Get Off Your Phones!! | 2/28/23

Convoy of American truckers hits Washington, DC, takes laps on the Beltway



The American answer to Canada’s Freedom Convoy has arrived.

The trucker convoy drove around the Capital Beltway — the metropolitan interstate highway loops surrounding Washington, D.C. — before heading back to Hagerstown, Maryland to regroup and organize, NBC News reported.

Last month, lawmakers in the D.C. metropolitan area requested support from the National Guard as they prepared for thousands of American truckers to descend on the nation’s capital.

Organizers of the American trucker convoy requested a permit from the National Park Service to allow 1,000 to 3,000 people to gather in Washington, D.C., as they protest policy pertaining to domestic energy production, mandatory COVID-19 vaccination, and federal disregard for immigration law.

Bob Bolus, an organizer of the American trucker convoy — known as the “People’s Convoy” — said that protesters are interested in shutting down the Capital Beltway like a “giant boa constrictor that basically squeezes you.”

The People’s Convoy left California in late February, and according to the New York Times, there are at least 1,000 trucks, recreational vehicles, and cars participating in the protest.

One man, who described himself as the lead trucker in the convoy, said he plans to drive his rig into the heart of Washington, D.C.

He said, “D.C., the government, whomever, can claim that they have all this opposition for us waiting in D.C., but the flag on the back of my truck will go down to Constitution Avenue between the White House and the Washington Monument.”

Christopher Rodriguez, the director of the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said that if the People’s Convoy enters Washington, there will be authorities waiting for them.

He said, “We’ve been preparing for this for over a month now. In the event we do see impact in the district, those personnel and equipment can help move traffic through with the support of the Metropolitan Police Department.”

The People’s Convoy is one of several protests inspired by the Canadian Freedom Convoy.

People gathered across the world in places like New Zealand, France, Austria, and now the United States to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Most of these protests, however, occurred in nations that do not have legally guaranteed protections for peaceful assembly and protests and were subsequently squashed.

In Canada, for instance, the police enforced a “zero tolerance” policy for “any activity in the area” where the Freedom Convoy assembled to protest, per NBC News.

In the aftermath of the Canadian government cracking down on the protests, Canadian police vowed to identify anyone involved in the protests and issue them with financial sanctions and criminal charges.

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Canadian police enforce 'zero tolerance' crackdown on protestors as the Freedom Convoy goes international



Canadian police have begun arresting people protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates on the Ambassador Bridge that connects Canada and the United States.

Windsor police said on Sunday morning that they had already made several arrests and that protesters will face a charge of “mischief” when arrested, per NBC News.

The Windsor Police said, “Enforcement actions continue at the demonstration area” and “there will be zero tolerance for illegal activity.”

Enforcement actions continue at the demonstration area with arrests being made. Vehicles being towed. Please continue avoiding the area.
— Windsor Police (@Windsor Police) 1644758056

Protestors blockaded the Ambassador Bridge in solidarity with the ongoing Freedom Convoy protests opposing Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.


Are you willing to be arrested?\n\nWe\u2019ll see.pic.twitter.com/G3joBFF2bn
— Katerina Georgieva (@Katerina Georgieva) 1644756576

The Ambassador Bridge is Canada’s busiest border crossing, and the protests are costing an estimated $392.56 million a day in cross-border transactions.

Gretchen Whitmer, the Governor of Michigan, said in an interview that “The Canadian government has to do whatever it takes to safely and swiftly resolve [the blockade].”

The Ambassador Bridge connects Canada to the state of Michigan, so the blockade impedes the flow of goods to and from Michigan.

The Biden administration has also recently urged the Canadian government to use force to break up the peaceful Freedom Convoy protests.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he was working with his country’s Incident Response Group to “make sure municipal, provincial, and federal authorities have what they need to end the blockades and protect public safety.”


I convened the Incident Response Group again today \u2013 we went over the efforts underway to address the illegal blockades and occupations. We\u2019ll continue to make sure municipal, provincial, and federal authorities have what they need to end the blockades and protect public safety.
— Justin Trudeau (@Justin Trudeau) 1644720790

Despite Trudeau’s “nice guy” public persona and popularity among leftwing political circles, it appears that his handling of the Freedom Convoy protests have soured his standing among his constituents.

Trudeau, who already leads a minority coalition in the Canadian government, is receiving dismal poll numbers over his response to the protest. Only 16% of Canadians “want to vote for him because of how he has dealt with the situation.”

The Police Chief of Ottawa, Peter Sloly, told reporters that reinforcements from Canada’s federal government would be necessary to break up the protests citing the Freedom Convoy’s dedication and commitment to protesting.

He said, “This is an entirely sophisticated level of demonstrators. They have the capability to run strong organization here provincially and nationally, and we’re seeing that play out in real-time.”

Despite the Canadian government’s intense crackdown on the Freedom Convoy, the protestors inspired a global movement.

Protests in the vein of the Freedom Convoy have assembled in New Zealand, France, and Austria.


La tension ne retombe pas sur les #ChampsElysees apr\u00e8s plusieurs heures d\u2019incidents. #convoisdelalibertepic.twitter.com/5uTsMPNjhC
— Cl\u00e9ment Lanot (@Cl\u00e9ment Lanot) 1644680977

A group calling itself the “USA Trucker Convoy” is purportedly planning a Freedom Convoy-style protest in the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security is monitoring the developing American Freedom Convoy.

Canadian police call the Freedom Convoy a 'nation-wide insurrection'



The term “insurrection” has gotten an unprecedented amount of use ever since the events that unfolded at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.

It evokes fear of societal instability and conveys a mental image of a rowdy crowd that is hellbent on upheaval.

So, it may come as some surprise that Canadian officials have begun characterizing the peaceful and polite Freedom Convoy that has inspired Canadians from all walks of life to oppose their government’s COVID-19 vaccinations mandate as a “nation-wide insurrection.”

Diane Deans, chair of Ottawa’s police board, referred to the coalition of truckers protesting the vaccine mandate in Canada’s capital as a “threat to our democracy.”

“What we’re seeing is bigger than just a City of Ottawa problem,” she continued, “This is a nation-wide insurrection. This is madness. We need a concrete plan to put an end to this.”

Peter Sloly, the Ottawa police chief, described the Freedom Convoy’s presence in Canada’s capital city as “mindboggling” and an “occupation.”

Police chief Sloly announced on Friday that the police of Ottawa were launching a “surge and contain” strategy to put an end to the peaceful demonstration.

Diana Deans suggested that the government begin to coerce dispersion of the Freedom Convoy. She asked city officials if they would be willing to declare the peacefully assembled truckers “unlawful” and subsequently a “riot” so that the government may begin making mass arrests or pursue a court injunction against the Freedom Convoy.

“We cannot allow this kind of terrorism in our community to continue in this way,” Deans said.

Ottawa’s city councilors even explored the possibility of invoking the National Defense Act in order to curtail the Freedom Convoy. Should the National Defense Act be invoked, the Canadian military would be mobilized to disperse the Freedom Convoy and its supporters.

Despite Canadian officials decrying the peaceful assembly of truckers as “violent,” the only actual act of violence was carried out against supporters of the Freedom Convoy when a 42-year-old man drove his SUV into a crowd of protesters.

A 42yr old male is facing charges after driving through a group of protesters that were part of the Freedom Convoy at the Legislative grounds. 4 adult males were struck.\nhttps://www.winnipeg.ca/police/press/2022/02feb/2022_02_05.stm\u00a0\u2026
— Winnipeg Police (@Winnipeg Police) 1644085606

Interestingly enough, Diane Deans does not condemn or even mention the 2021 burnings of Canadian churches online. Yet, when it comes to blue-collar workers peacefully opposing government-mandated medical procedures, she is swift to decry their mobilization as dangerous.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau even decried the Freedom Convoy as being prejudiced against virtually every possible demographic.

Today in the House, Members of Parliament unanimously condemned the antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Black racism, homophobia, and transphobia that we\u2019ve seen on display in Ottawa over the past number of days. Together, let\u2019s keep working to make Canada more inclusive.
— Justin Trudeau (@Justin Trudeau) 1643759262

Yet despite this, the men and women who the Canadian government lambast as violent bigots are cleaning up garbage on Canada’s streets, shoveling snow off of sidewalks, and cleaning grime off of national monuments.