How the anti-vaccine and far-right got Trudeau and Canada in trouble

As a group of aircraft carriers departed British Columbia for Canada’s capital, Ottawa, on January 22, 2022, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, describing the protests as “minority”. The campaign originated in regulations issued late last year requiring “coronavirus vaccination passports” to be provided to all people transiting the United States from January 15.

Remember that every day there are some fifty thousand cars They change the country in one direction or the other, and some kind of protest is to be expected, but Trudeau was right: they were few (albeit loud) at the time, and a nation’s health policy couldn’t depend on the protests they sparked.

Another thing is the management of protests. The Canadian government forgets that “few” can be “enough” to cause chaos if properly organized.Trudeau made two mistakes: one, let The entourage will arrive in Ottawa It will be installed there, collapsing the city’s streets, avenues, entrances and exits, virtually isolating it from the rest of the country, with consequences that could have ramifications for any state’s capital.

The second mistake, once they crossed the Rubicon, was fighting with their own weapons, threatening violence, and even sending more and more police and National Guard members to confront the transporters at the wrong time.

It may be easier to let the movement rot on its own while causing great inconvenience to citizens. Sooner or later public opinion will turn against him, which will end the meaning of protests. Trudeau was sluggish and had a severe reaction. Furthermore, it does not have another factor that ends up being key: the presence of political activists and experts in this revolt. Gradually, over time, outsiders joined the protest, diversifying it, bringing it to the media, and turning it into a full-blown political fight.among the most dangerous activists James and Sandra Bowder.

QAnon and the far right

James Bauder, the founder of what he himself calls “Canada Unity,” has ties to far-right groups in Canada. QAnon networkwith Occupy Capitol and support support Donald Trump And against vaccines in the US. The key word for Bald and his companions is “freedom.”

It is much easier to sell pro-freedom messages than against vaccines. Who is against “freedom”? Liberty justifies everything, so different protests extend to Quebec, Toronto Most importantly, to the border Ontario Along with the United States, brought down the Ambassador Bridge, through which thousands of vehicles pass every day, delivering millions of dollars in merchandise.

During the week of Ottawa Occupation, we saw protests against mandatory vaccinations, Call for crimes against humanity, flags with the QAnon logo and various nazi symbols. The police were even forced to evacuate the Prime Minister from his residence, considering his safety was at stake. Instead of talking about operators fighting for so-called rights that can be negotiated to a certain extent, we’re talking about the intersection of the alt-right (Canada and the US) in North America.

Along with the Balders, the protest, or rather its message, was organized by complex figures, such as Tamara Leach, an independent from Western Canada obsessed with the “Islamization” of the country The Benjamin Dichter, or Pat King, one of the greatest anti-Islam agitators, Trudeau and the country’s anti-vaccine.As if that wasn’t enough, the “Freedom Convoy” has the explicit backing of tycoon Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump, in addition to others such as Sean HannityTrump’s right-hand man on Fox News.

Right now, the situation in the capital and in several of Canada’s most important cities is chaotic. Still, it remains to be seen whether the carrier’s last move was their biggest mistake. After all, we’re talking about a mob who often makes decisions on impulse, and while they try to capitalize on their protests, it’s not easy to organize. The occupation of the Ambassador Bridge, which has been going on for four days, could cost the movement dearly.

US border

As long as the protests stay local, the rest of the world may or may not be sympathetic. The situation changes when borders start to be blocked and supply and industrial production start to be delayed.The U.S. government has formally urged Canada to do everything possible to free Ambassador Bridge, and even the justice system has threatened fines and jail If they still pile up there. The Ambassador Bridge has a strategic importance not even Ottawa has, and one wonders what protest leaders will do about it.

One option is to wait for the violence of the Canadian security forces and turn their cause into that of the martyrs of globalism. The other is to surrender, lead the way, and give up positions, which can be interpreted as a sign of weakness. If it’s up to QAnon and its supporters, the first option will get more votes. The point is, these violence, these fines and this prison have to be taken by other people, those who drive the trucks. Protests and chaos have been going on for three weekends and a lot of money has been lost.This Supermarkets are starting to empty Auto production in Detroit and Ontario both took a hit. Canada declared a state of emergency on Friday.

On Saturday afternoon, they started talking about how the truck’s movement could ease congestion on the bridge. Whether this is the end of the protests or just a pause in search of other goals remains to be seen. At this point, the Trudeau government can no longer bow to anything. This would be ridiculous. You’ve had them paralyzing the country for three weeks, there’s no room for negotiation. Carriers who want to continue working must be vaccinated or comply with available medical exemptions. At least, until legislation is relaxed across all industries.

Expand to France

Ironically, the fight for ‘freedom’ and against globalism seems Expanded to France in recent days. We are talking about a country that has been actively protesting by a large number of anti-vaccine and anti-restriction activists. They lack the resolve seen in Canada…and the fact that the French police are not that squeamish. Given the success of the Ottawa protests, similar ideas have emerged in the north of the country: Fill the passage to Paris with tens of thousands of vehicles to destroy the capital.

While some managed to bypass police installations and gain a foothold around the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées, constantly honking their horns and chanting “freedom, freedom,” the police responded with arrests and Tear gas to disperse protesters. Warning of what was happening in Canada and aware of the need to stop the movement from the start, the Paris Police Department banned demonstrations as soon as they were announced. He was quick and powerful, something Ottawa missed. The freedom of the Parisians triumphed over the “liberty” of the Protestants.

Although the organizers of these “Freedoms” — the same term used in Canada — tout the breadth of the movement, 3,300 displaced vehicles No time was enough to circumvent the deployment of more than 7,200 military police, who worked around the clock to prevent the excesses that occurred in the town of Chartres, closer to the capital, on Friday.

It must be taken into account that, unlike Ottawa and other large Canadian cities, Paris is very accustomed to such violent demonstrations: the memory of the “yellow vests” and their vandalism in 2018 and 2019 is always there, as well as inflation and high oil prices Reinvigorate the movement as the presidential election approaches.

Will we see more “freedom fleets” in the rest of the West? It’s not a one-off. Oddly enough, the movement hasn’t spread across the U.S., but the U.S. certainly isn’t as tolerant as Canada, and in general, it’s more practical: a hypothetical protest against declining productivity always looks bad.

If protests stop in France, we likely won’t see a similar attempt in Rome or Berlin, although some timid ones shouldn’t be ruled out. Currently, throughout the pandemic, there have been no similar protests in Spain, the acceptance of the vaccine has been almost uniform, so in principle this is a threat that should not even touch us.

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