A convoy of big rigs — dubbed the Freedom Convoy –protested over the weekend in Ottawa against vaccine mandates and COVID-19 measures, leading to Justin Trudeau being shifted to a secret location amid fears of violence
A prime minister in hiding and a country brought to a grinding halt owing to protests.
That’s what is happening in Canada where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to reports, and his family have been shifted to a secret location as the country witnesses unprecedented protests against COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Here’s a simple guide to what’s going on in Canada and why ‘Karma strikes’ has been trending on social media.
Truckers protest
Over the weekend, hundreds of truckers drove their giant rigs into the Canadian capital Ottawa to protest against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates required to cross the United States border.
The so-called “Freedom Convoy” — coming from east and west — started out as a rally against a vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers, but has turned into a demonstration against government overreach during the pandemic with a strong anti-vaccination streak.
On Saturday, the streets of Ottawa’s city centre were packed with trucks as the blaring, non-stop honking of dozens of air horns filled the air, an AFP news agency journalist reported.
Protesters participating in a cross-country truck convoy protesting measures taken by authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19 and vaccine mandates gather near Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Saturday. AP
“I want it all to stop, these measures are unjustified,” said one protester, 31-year-old businessman Philippe Castonguay, outside the parliament building.
Protesters compared vaccine mandates to fascism, one truck carried a Confederate flag and many carried expletive-laden signs targeting Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.
The initial motivation for the protest was a new rule requiring truckers to show proof of vaccination when entering Canada, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government implemented on 15 January. Until then, truckers had been allowed to cross the US-Canada border with few restrictions. The US imposed a similar mandate on 22 January.
But the protest has morphed into a catch-all movement of people angry at public health restrictions meant to control the spread of COVID-19.
Stephen Penderness, an unvaccinated 28-year-old trucker from Ontario, was quoted as telling AFP he was protesting for all Canadians, not just his fellow drivers.
“It’s actually for every single person… everybody on the road,” he said. “It’s all about your free choice.”
Angela Bernal, a 67-year-old retired teacher said she wanted “governments to lift the measures,” adding that “maintaining the restrictions is useless.”
“I’m locked into my own country right now,” Tom Pappin, an unvaccinated man who came from just outside Ottawa, was quoted as telling The Associated Press. “I can’t go on a holiday. I can’t go to a restaurant, I can’t go bowling. I can’t go to a movie. You know, these are things that it’s just gotten out of control.”
The 52-year-old said attendees are likely to stay parked by Parliament until vaccine mandates are lifted.
Police presence was heightened around the federal capital as there was fears of violence, but protests went off without any incident.
The zone around Parliament was closed for the weekend, and Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly described the situation on the ground as “unique, fluid, risky and significant.”
Trudeau shifted
Fearing the situation, reports stated that Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and his family left their home in the country’s capital and shifted to a secret location.
The CBC reported that Trudeau, his wife and their children were relocated from their Ottawa home to the undisclosed location in the capital amid heightened security concerns.
Justin Trudeau, his wife and their children were relocated from their Ottawa home to the undisclosed location in the capital amid heightened security concerns. AFP
The prime minister’s itinerary for the day usually states he is in Ottawa if he’s at home, but on Saturday it was changed to say “National Capital Region.” Trudeau has been working remotely and isolating after one of his children tested positive for COVID last week.
The protests also prompted a top Parliament security official advising lawmakers to lock their doors amid reports their private homes may be targeted.
Trudeau earlier called the truckers headed for the city a “small fringe minority” who do not represent the majority of Canadians.
Trudeau said Friday that the truckers’ views — which he described as anti-science, anti-government and anti-society — posed a risk not only to themselves but to other Canadians as well.
Support for protests
Conservative leader, Erin O’Toole, opposes vaccine mandates and expressed support for the protest.
“I support their right to be heard, and I call on Justin Trudeau to meet with these hard-working Canadians to hear their concerns,” O’Toole said after the meeting.
The movement also received an endorsement from former US president Donald Trump and some Fox News personalities.
“We want those great Canadian truckers to know that we are with them all the way,” Trump said at a rally in Conroe, Texas. “They are doing more to defend American freedom than our leaders by far.”
Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk also tweeted in support of the movement, writing, “Canadian truckers rule.”
‘#Karmastrikes’
Meanwhile, as the western country witnessed these protests, Twitter saw an interesting trend — ‘#Karmastrikes’.
Many Indian social media users used the opportunity to get back at Justin Trudeau and started tweeting #karmastrikes.
This was in response to Justin Trudeau’s support to the farmer protests in India that lasted for over a year.
In December 2020, Trudeau had come out in support of the farmers’ protests. India had then termed it “ill-informed” and “unwarranted”.
Congress MP Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi took to Twitter and asserted that before poking his nose into the internal matters of India, the Canadian PM should have remembered that ‘karma’ had the potential to ‘hit back hard’.
Others too chimed in.
Another Twitter user wrote, “#JustinTrudeau supported Tractors protests in Delhi last year on Jan 26th, and now #JustinTrudeau & his family ran away to secret location due to security threat.”
Another Twitter user said: “Hello @JustinTrudeau, Thand toh nhi lag rahi??”
Several others too echoed the same sentiments, with some calling Justin Trudeau a ‘coward’.
These tweets were in response to Justin Trudeau’s comments on the farmers’ protest in 2020. He had stated that his government had raised the issue through ‘multiple means’ with Indian authorities.
Trudeau remarked that Canada supports the ‘right to peaceful protests’.
The Ministry of External Affairs had sharply hit back at Canada’s interference in the internal matters of India saying, “We’ve seen some ill-informed comments by Canadian leaders relating to farmers in India. These are unwarranted especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country. It’s also best that diplomatic conversations aren’t misrepresented for political purposes.”
With inputs from agencies
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