Demonstrators take part in a cross-country truck convoy protesting measures taken by officials to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and vaccine mandates, near Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Saturday, January 29, 2022.
Highlight
- Thousands of protesters gathered in the Canadian capital on January 29 to protest the vaccine mandate
- Some parked in the grounds of the National War Memorial and danced at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- Protesters compare vaccine mandate to fascism
Thousands of protesters gathered in the Canadian capital on Saturday to protest vaccine mandates, masks and lockdowns.
Some parked on the grounds of the National War Memorial and danced at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, others carried signs and flags with swastikas, and some used a statue of Canadian hero Terry Fox to display an anti-vaccine statement , which drew widespread condemnation.
“I am saddened to see protesters dancing at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and desecrating the National War Memorial. Generations of Canadians have fought and died for our rights, including freedom of expression, but not this. Those involved should bow their heads in shame,” tweeted Canadian Chief of Defense Staff General Wayne Eyre.
Protesters compared the vaccine mandate to fascism, a truck carrying a Union flag and many carried outrageous signs targeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Fox, a national hero who lost a leg to bone cancer as a youth, then in 1980 on a fundraising trek across Canada, a sign with an upside-down Canadian flag was wrapped with what was called the “Mandate of Independence”.
Trudeau retweeted a statement from The Terry Fox Foundation that said “Terry believed in science and laid down his life to help others.”
Eric Simmons of Oshawa, Ontario, said all vaccine mandates should be abolished.
“They’re not effective, they’re not working. It’s not changing anything. We can’t live like that. People are losing their jobs because they don’t want to get the vaccine,” Simmons said.
The convoy of truck drivers and others prompted police to be prepared for the possibility of violence and warned residents to avoid the city. A top parliament security official has advised lawmakers to shut their doors amid reports that their private homes were being targeted.
Trudeau has said that Canadians are not represented by this “very disturbing, small but very vocal minority of Canadians who are pushing for science, government, society, mandates and public health advice.”
The prime minister’s itinerary for the day usually states that if he is at home he is in Ottawa, but on Saturday it said he was moved to an undisclosed location amid reports that the “National Capital Region” Is. One of Trudeau’s children has COVID-19 and the prime minister is isolated and working remotely.
Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world and the head of state of Quebec who is proposing a tax without vaccination is popular.
Some are, in part, opposed to a new rule, which took effect January 15, that requires truck drivers entering Canada to be fully immunized against the coronavirus. The United States has imposed the same requirement on truck drivers entering that country.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance said a large number of protesters have no ties to the trucking industry, saying they have a different agenda to push. The Coalition notes that most drivers are vaccinated.
Organizers of the protest have called for a forced end to all COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates and some have called for Trudeau to be removed.
Some opposition Canadian Conservative lawmakers served coffee to protesters. Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole interviews some truck drivers. The protest has also received support from Donald Trump Jr. and some Fox News personalities.
Bruce Heyman, former US ambassador to Canada, tweeted: “The threat to democracy today is not only happening in America.”
“The use of the swastika and the Sangh flag are both symbols of hatred. Very sad to see these symbols anywhere and especially in Canada.”
The Parliamentary Protective Service expects more than 10,000 protesters to attend the one-week-long rally.
“I’m locked up in my own country right now,” said Tom Pappin, an illiterate man who came from just outside Ottawa. “I can’t go on vacation. I can’t go to restaurants, I can’t go bowling. I can’t go to the movies. You know, these are things that just got out of control.”
The 52-year-old said attendees are likely to stand by Parliament until the vaccine mandate is lifted.
Read also: How did Omicron evolve? Scientists explore theories related to origin of COVID type
Read also: NeoCov: Doctors advised not to panic about new COVID19 variants
,