In a scene at odds with Canadians’ reputation for niceness and rule-following, thousands of protesters railing against vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions descended on the capital over the weekend, deliberately blocking traffic around Parliament Hill.
And while things may have appeared to be peaceful, some people urinated and parked on the National War Memorial. One danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A number carried signs proclaiming “F — You Trudeau” and flags with swastikas.
The majority of Canadians (80 percent) are fully vaccinated and boosted, a figure that puts the U.S. and its 63.3 percent to shame. Almost 90 percent of Canadian truckers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
So, it is no wonder that the Associated Press is reporting that demonstrators have found little sympathy for their cause. Actually, many people were outraged by some of the crude behavior.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the Ottawa protesters a “fringe minority,” according to PBS.org, and said they reflected the proliferation of “disinformation and misinformation online, conspiracy theorists, about microchips, about God, knows what else that goes with the tinfoil hats.”
The Freedom Convoy raised millions of dollars using an online funding app, and it attracted support from former President Donald Trump and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, both questionable in their motives.
Trudeau and his family were moved to an undisclosed location during the protest. (Two of his children tested positive for COVID-19, and a test Monday revealed he, too, was infected). He said he is fine and working remotely, reports the Seattle Times.
There were still protesters on the streets of Ottawa on Tuesday, although their numbers were diminished. That group says they won’t leave until all the vaccine mandates and other restrictions are gone.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, referring to the group that insisted on staying, said, “You had your 15 minutes. Time to move on and give back our city to our residents.”
The outburst seen this past weekend was so out of character for Canada that one U.S. scientist felt compelled to apologize for what he portrayed as America’s influence.
“Canada gave us kindness, tolerance, poutine, and hockey, and in turn, we exported this awful fake health freedom movement linked to far-right extremism that caused so much senseless loss of life in America and now might do the same there,” tweeted Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious-disease specialist at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. “Our apologies.”
