Purging the Conservative Party of Canada’s tent of hate is going to be very difficult, given how long and hard people like Pierre Poilievre have worked to churn it up against any number of supposed enemies, writes columnist Max Fawcett.
The notices state the Emergencies Act gives police the power to seize vehicles that are part of the demonstration and ban people from travelling within a certain area.
NBC News has reported that the protests, originally branded as a "trucker convoy" comprising drivers angry at being forced to get vaccinated against COVID-19, were being promoted by fake accounts connected to so-called "content mills" in Bangladesh, Romania, Vietnam and elsewhere.
During this pandemic, the phrase “We’re on our own” is not a sentiment that immediately mobilizes solidarity, putting it in stark contrast to the message, “We’re all in this together.”
Alongside signs promoting freedom and unity, protesters in Ottawa have displayed swastikas, Confederate flags and other white nationalist imagery. A hate crime expert says convoy organizers may be tokenizing BIPOC protesters to build support.
Almost two-thirds of Canadians oppose the Ottawa protest against COVID-19 measures, with more than four in 10 saying they strongly consider the demonstration a selfish display, a new poll suggests.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will neither meet with nor be intimidated by the convoy of Canadians he says spent the last few days harassing local businesses, waving Nazi flags and stealing food from the homeless.