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Washington: The protests over pandemic restrictions that gripped Ottawa and disrupted two US-Canada border crossings have inspired others that tapped into simmering resentment in cities around the world.
In the United States, the trucker protest has drawn attention from politicians debating American coronavirus protocols, as Canadian police said a “significant” US element played a role in the demonstration, including its funding and organisation.
The ‘Convoy to Canberra’ protest at the front of Parliament House in Canberra on Saturday 5 February 2022. fedpol Photo: Alex EllinghausenCredit:Alex Ellinghausen
The movement that started with frustration from truckers over vaccination mandates at the border has snowballed to include a hodgepodge of grievances. Here are some parts of the world to see protests of varying scale energised by the self-described “Freedom Convoy” in Canada.
Canberra
Protests in Australia’s capital have lasted for about eight days with a largely peaceful atmosphere and are expected to keep going into the weekend.
As people waved signs that read “FREEDOM” in front of Parliament on Tuesday, some lawmakers warned against an escalation of the demonstration in a country that saw protests against vaccine mandates last year. Protesters, who organised meals and camping gear, rejected claims that they planned to cause trouble. Australian police expelled people from one Canberra site last week and said they would clear another if demonstrators don’t leave.
Wellington, New Zealand
Protesters camped outside New Zealand’s Parliament on Wednesday to oppose coronavirus measures, a day after a convoy of vehicles clogged streets in the capital, Wellington, with horns blaring. The rally first brought hundreds of people to the streets, though the numbers dwindled to the dozens by Wednesday, according to local media outlets. “It’s not about HEALTH, it’s about CONTROL,” one sign read.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the protesters as a minority. New Zealand is set to start easing its border closure this month, after maintaining some of the world’s strictest travel restrictions of the pandemic, a policy authorities credit for keeping infections and deaths low.
Police officers form a line in front of protesters at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand.Credit:Getty
New York
In New York, a group of city workers marched in protest of a measure set to take effect requiring them to get vaccinated or face dismissal. The protesters walked across the Brooklyn Bridge this week holding large US and Canadian flags. Some of their signs read, “Workers Are Essential, Mandates Are Not” and “We will not comply with tyranny.”
In the US, federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies are bracing for the possibility of a protest by truckers that could begin this weekend and carry into March, potentially including a cross-country caravan and disruptions to cities and major transportation routes.
While it’s still not clear how serious the threat is, the US Department of Homeland Security warned law-enforcement agencies that protests could begin February 13 when the Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles and arrive in the nation’s capital in early March.
People carrying a large Canadian flag march on Brooklyn Bridge during an anti-vaccine mandate protest ahead of possible termination of New York City employees due to their vaccination status in New York. Credit:AP
Alaska
In Alaska, dozens of truckers gathered in Anchorage on Sunday, driving to suburban Eagle River to show support for the Ottawa protesters and opposition to vaccine requirements for crossing the border, according to local media outlets. “Mandates should be our choice, whether you want the shots or not,” one truck driver told the Anchorage Daily News, which reported that other cities in Alaska saw similar events.
Hundreds of truckers in South Anchorage support Canadian truck drivers opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.Credit:AP
Europe
Truckers are planning to head to Brussels in the coming days as part of a “European Freedom Convoy.”
Though Europe has a history of trucker and anti-lockdown protests, the Ottawa demonstration fuelled a rush of online organising, with anti-vaccine and anti-mandate groups starting to rally under the “Freedom Convoy” banner.
Authorities in France and Belgium on Thursday banned road blockades threatened by groups organising online against COVID-19 restrictions, in part inspired by protesters in Canada.
A man puts a poster reads “Liberty Convoy” on a van before leaving for Paris, in Bayonne, southwestern France.Credit:AP
Citing “risks of trouble to public order,” the Paris police department banned protests aimed at “blocking the capital” from Friday through Monday. Police will put measures in place to protect roads and detain violators.
One Facebook group for the convoy has more than 48,000 members, and users who join might be directed to calls for events in France, Portugal, Denmark and Norway. On Telegram channels circulating the plans, messages ranged from expressions of support for truckers to misinformation about vaccines.
Washington Post with AP
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