Neither of the two Freedom Convoys were about ending COVID-19 restrictions, about showing opposition to a “mandate-prone” government. And it certainly wasn’t about truckers suffering from lack of freedoms.
The facts tell us the real story. Some 120,000 certified truckers are part of the Canadian Trucking Association (CTA). In downtown Ottawa, at the peak of the occupation in February, only 230 trucks participated. The CTA denounced the convoy and stated that over 90% of its truckers are vaccinated and follow mandate requirements.
For many, it’s disturbing to see far right international media depict the Freedom Rally as a widely supported, grass roots uprising demanding their rightful freedoms from a repressive government. It’s even more disconcerting reading in EKRE’s Uued Uudised distortions of the level of support the Freedom Rally gained from Canadians in general.
Far right reports have stated that protesters ranged from 10,000 to 50,000 in numbers. Local police place the protesters from 5,000 to 10,000 at the peak. These are not small gatherings. But compare this to the 500,000 in 2019, convening in Montreal, targeting climate change.
Many observers suggest the Freedom Rally represented a much broader grievance. It was a well-organized protest, an actual prime opportunity for disaffected white Canadians, who are Christian (a distortion of this designation – ed.) and male to build and express solidarity with others of equal mind.
(Pikemalt saab lugeda Eesti Elu 8. juuli 2022 paber- ja PDF/digilehest)
