For the next few days, truckers in Canada’s national capital could be arrested or fined for sounding resistance to their government’s COVID tyranny. Ontario Superior Court Justice Hugh McLean issued a 10-day injunction on Monday preventing Freedom Convoy 2022 truckers from honking their horns, according to The Counter Signal.
Tens of thousands of truckers have been blaring their semi’s air horns on the streets of Ottawa since January 29, following a week-long trek from British Columbia’s Pacific coast, to demand medical freedom and an end to COVID restrictions and mandates. Lawyers representing a class-action lawsuit of Ottawa residents say the noise is severe and disruptive. The judge temporarily ruled in their favor to allow time for more opinions to be heard in the case.
The city council is also proposing to raise fines up to $1,000 for otherwise minor infractions such as “honking horns, idling vehicles and blocking roads,” according to Rebel News. They intend to repeal a rule allowing vehicles to idle when temperatures drop.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Parliament held emergency debate on Monday, marking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first appearance since the convoy arrived in the capital. He had tested positive for COVID mere hours beforehand and then remained in an undisclosed location for security reasons, according to media reports. In a burst of characteristic coarseness, Trudeau told the House of Commons, “This pandemic has sucked for all Canadians.” But, he claimed, the truckers have been disruptive in trying to blockade Canada’s economy, democracy and their fellow citizens daily lives. “It has to stop,” he droned, apparently oblivious to the irony and hypocrisy of criticizing protesters for what his own COVID tyranny has wrought in Canada for the past two years.
Nevertheless, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson is asking Trudeau for reinforcements to “quell the insurrection.” In a letter to the prime minister and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, he asked for 1,800 additional police officers to add to the 2,100-strong Ottawa force, according to Global News. Watson declared a State of Emergency on Sunday, accusing the convoy of illegally occupying the city, defacing monuments, and disrupting peace and safety, saying current police forces are not enough to “restore public order.” Chief of the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Peter Sloly has characterized the protest as a violent and criminal siege, describing to CTV News how his force is impounding trucks and arresting Canadians who are supplying the truckers with fuel.
Tom Marazzo, police liaison for the Freedom Convoy 2022, defended the truckers during a press conference in Ottawa on Sunday. He said the city government has “deliberately set the conditions for potential violence against the peaceful protesters of the Freedom 2022 convoy,” and accused major media of intentionally misleading the public into believing the protestors are criminals. He pointed out that police are aware that crimes committed during the protest have been reported by the truckers themselves, not committed by them. “The protest has been peaceful,” he noted. “Groups inciting violence are not affiliated with us in any way.”
But he strongly criticized OPS leaders. “In my negotiations with them, they have chosen to take the posture of a hostage negotiation, rather than working to a safe, peaceful and responsible relationship that may exist for months to come.” Despite pushback, he reported that the truckers “have worked tirelessly to maintain safe corridors for all forms of emergency vehicles in order to ensure” no interruption in service. “In return, we have received nothing but inflammatory accusations and misinformation perpetrated by the Ottawa police leadership.” He praised the citizens of Ottawa for their overwhelming support of the movement, while accusing Sloly of attempting “to rebrand an entire worldwide movement as a criminal organization.”
Rebel News founder Ezra Levant is promoting legal help for the truckers at www.TruckerLawyer.ca:
Meanwhile, support is pouring in on the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo, with more than $6.5 million in U.S. dollars raised during the campaign’s first week. Organizers had raised more than $10 million CAD (equivalent to about $7.9 U.S. million) since mid-January on the GoFundMe platform, but that outlet claimed last Wednesday that the truckers were in violation of their terms of service by not submitting proper documentation “regarding the use of funds.” This, despite the fact that lawyers representing the convoy announced during a press conference on Thursday morning that they had delivered all requested documentation.
GoFundMe is now facing claims of fraud from the State of Florida. The website, which originally told donors they would have to submit claims for reimbursement or their cash would be given to another charity. Florida governor Ron DeSantis and his Attorney General, Ashley Moody, tweeted on Saturday that he and his attorney general, Ashley Moody, would launch investigations into “these deceptive practices.”
Within hours, GoFundMe reversed its decision, announcing it would automatically refund all donors within 10 days. Some credit DeSantis. Others recognize the incentive for GoFundMe’s reversal owing to a now-popular hashtag: #ChargeBackGoFundMe. On Sunday, American Frontline Nurses founder Nicole Sirotek posted this message on her Facebook page: “If you donated through go fund me do not request a refund. Instead call your bank and have it processed as a charge back for service not rendered. Go fund me will be forced to cover the chargeback fees, which are usually $25-$40 per chargeback.” #ChargeBackGoFundMe #freedomconvoy2022
Meanwhile, Canadians are calling out their prime minister on his hypocrisy.
And thousands of Canadians are joining the trucker protests in Ottawa and along the U.S./Canada border.
