Truckers banding together; Standing up to their government

      In response to Canada’s recent mandate that required Canadian truckers crossing borders to get vaccinated against COVID-19, peaceful protests have been ignited in Ontario, Canada. Along with required vaccinations, the new mandates also enforced unvaccinated Canadian truckers to quarantine once they have returned home.

      Truckers across Canada banded together and protested by blocking off roads. Harold Jonker, a truck driver, told BBC news, “we want to be free, we want to have our choice again, and want hope -and the government has taken that away.”

      Prior to the mandates, BBC News reporter, Jessica Murphy stated “truck drivers working the cross-border routes had previously been exempt from mandates,” as they were considered essential workers.

     The frustration of the trucker community could be seen when they blockaded the Ambassador Bridge which connects Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario. Their hopes were to get the attention of the government and show their opposition to the new mandates. 

     Since the beginning of the pandemic many citizens have experienced more control from their government than they ever have before. At the start of COVID-19 , the government’s response with a lockdown and mandates may have made sense because they did not know what they were up against. 

     Now we are familiar with the virus and know the risk it poses. So we need to adapt our methods to suit the seriousness of the situation. The fact is, COVID-19 is not as dangerous as the media makes it out to be.

      According to reporter Myah Ward, protest organizers have raised about “$10 million Canadian dollars, or $7.8 million U.S. dollars, through GoFundMe.” Police claimed there was dangerous and unlawful activity during the protest, so GoFundMe shut down the campaign and little money was dispensed.

      This is dangerous territory that GoFundMe is entering. They are using their authority to censor the groups that are allowed to raise money for themselves. Even though there have been plenty of fundraisers in the past for protests that were not entirely peaceful, they did not get shut down.

     Since GoFundMe does not agree with the purpose of the trucker protest they have been disabled from receiving any of the money they raised.

     Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau labeled the movement and the participants as a “small fringe minority.” Murphy also stated, “over 80% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated.”

     Despite the majority of the protest being peaceful, the Canadian police became concerned that the event would attract violent demonstrations. So, Justin Trudeau declared the truckers to be “domestic terrorists” and announced Canada to be in a State of Emergency.

     20-year-old Vizi, was a trucker who was ordered by the police out of his truck during the protest. There is footage of him peacefully exiting his truck. On Fox News, Vizi talked about how they dragged him in the street and laid him down on his belly.

     He claimed he did not “remember how many were on top of […] [him].” In the video footage, it shows multiple police officers swarming Vizi and taking turns kneeing him in his stomach. Vizi said he “expected to be arrested, but not attacked by cops.”

     Vizi went on to state, “they broke […] [his] body a little bit, but not […] [his] spirit.”

     Another video from the protest, shows 78-year-old Gerry Charlebois, wrestled to the ground and cuffed after honking his car horn in support of the “Freedom Convoy.” New York Post reporter, Lee Brown, explained that “Charlebois- who is double-vaccinated and not one of the protestors- said he was ultimately given a $118 bylaw ticket for ‘unnecessary noise.’”

     The Canadian government and police’s response to citizens protesting for what they believe in resembles the control of a dictatorship. They are trying to squash the opinions of their citizens and scare them into silence. 

     At some point we have to go back to reality and start living freely again. The effectiveness of vaccines is not evident and has caused health issues for many people who have taken it. Forcing people to get a vaccine that they do not feel safe taking no longer makes sense.