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On Saturday, thousands of people gathered in Canada’s capital to protest vaccine requirements, masks, and lockdowns.
Some parked on the grounds of the National War Memorial and danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, while others carried anti-vaccine signs and flags with swastikas, and still others used the statue of Canadian hero Terry Fox to display an anti-vaccine statement, eliciting widespread condemnation.
“It sickens me to witness protesters disrespect the National War Memorial and dance on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Generations of Canadians have fought and died for our freedoms, including the right to free expression, but not for this. “Those responsible should hang their heads in shame,” Canada’s Defense Chief, Gen. Wayne Eyre, tweeted.
Protesters equated vaccine mandates to tyranny, one truck flew a Confederate flag, and many held posters including expletives directed at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The monument of Fox, a national hero who lost a limb to bone cancer as a child and subsequently embarked on a fundraising walk across Canada in 1980, was wrapped with an upside down Canadian flag with the words “mandate freedom” written on it.
“Terry believed in science and offered his life to benefit others,” Trudeau said in a statement from The Terry Fox Foundation.
All vaccine requirements, according to Eric Simmons of Oshawa, Ontario, should be abolished.
“They are ineffective and ineffective.” It makes no difference. This is not a sustainable way of life. People are losing their jobs as a result of their refusal to receive the vaccine, according to Simmons.
The truckers’ and others’ convoy prompted authorities to brace for possible violence and warn locals to stay away from downtown. Following reports that their private houses may be targeted, a top Parliament security official ordered legislators to secure their doors.
Trudeau has stated that the “extremely worrying, small but very vociferous minority of Canadians who are lashing out at science, government, society, mandates, and public health recommendations” are not representative of the majority of Canadians.
If he’s at home, the prime minister’s daily itinerary generally states he’ll be in Ottawa, but on Saturday it said “National Capital Region” amid reports he’s been transported to an unidentified location. Trudeau has been isolating himself and working remotely after one of his children was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Canada has one of the highest immunisation rates in the world, and Quebec’s premier, who is proposing a charge on the unvaccinated, is a popular figure.
Some are opposing a new law requiring trucks entering Canada to be completely inoculated against the coronavirus, which took effect on Jan. 15. Truckers entering the United States must meet the same requirements.
According to the Canadian Trucking Alliance, many of the protesters are unrelated to the trucking sector and are pushing a different agenda. The majority of drivers are immunised, according to the alliance.
The demonstration organisers demanded that all COVID-19 limits and vaccine mandates be repealed immediately, with some even calling for Trudeau’s resignation.
Protesters were handed coffee by several opposition Canadian Conservative politicians. Erin O’Toole, the leader of the Conservative Party, visited with truck drivers. Donald Trump Jr. and a few Fox News stars have also lent their support to the rally.
Former US Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman tweeted, “Today the challenge to democracy isn’t simply happening in America.”
“Both the swastika and the Confederate flag are hate symbols.” It’s really upsetting to see these emblems anywhere, let alone in Canada.”
A weekend-long march is expected to draw up to 10,000 demonstrators, according to the Parliamentary Protective Service.
“Right now, I’m confined within my own nation,” said Tom Pappin, an unvaccinated guy from just outside of Ottawa. “I’m unable to take a vacation. I can’t go to a restaurant or bowl. I am unable to attend a movie. These are things that have just gotten out of hand.”
Attendees, according to the 52-year-old, are expected to remain parked near Parliament until vaccine mandates are withdrawn.
