The Canadian “Freedom Convoy” of truckers protesting lockdowns has received the backing of U.S. Republicans and Canada is not impressed.
Truckers have blocked streets in Ottawa in protests over vaccine mandates since late January, bringing problems as far as the Ambassador Bridge into Detroit on Monday night.
Canada and the U.S. implemented a joint agreement requiring cross-border truckers to be fully vaccinated to enter their respective countries.
In what Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly characterized as a “siege” of the downtown areas, protesters have used big rigs and cars to block crucial traffic arteries, with horns blaring throughout the day.
A state of emergency was declared on Sunday.
The Ambassador Bridge in Detroit to Canada was closed on Monday, urging traffic to use the tunnel or head north to the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron.
Gregg Ward, president of Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry, has been in the border-crossing business for 30 years. He said the bridge closing is unprecedented.
The bridge is used to transport goods for trade, where businesses rely on receiving their goods on time, especially in the auto industry.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are among those who attacked GoFundMe for saying they would freeze $9 million in donations to support the trucker protests.
- Republican attorneys general in Florida, Texas, West Virginia and Louisiana urged donors to call for investigations of GoFundMe.
- Calling Trudeau a “far left lunatic,” Trump said in a statement Friday that “insane covid mandates” are destroying Canada and urged the convoy to come to Washington to protest the United States’ public health measures.
- Fox News has devoted much airtime to the Canadian protests, with Kayleigh McEnany announcing the Canadian protesters as “our freedom fighters.”
“They’re standing up to their Orwellian dictatorial government with all of these COVID edicts, and good for them. And guess what … they have the support of the people.” — McEnany