The US 'Freedom Convoy' Is Much Smaller Than Canada's & Truckers Are Getting Flipped Off
A Canada-style "freedom convoy" has been circling the roads around the U.S. Capitol for days, but it's a been a far cry from what we saw in Ottawa last month.
The anti-vaccination mandate protest has dubbed itself "the People's Convoy," and much like the Canadian one, it's made up of RVs, cars, tractor trailers, and pickup trucks.
But where the Canadian protesters clogged up the streets around Parliament Hill, this reportedly smaller group of protesters has been doing laps on the busy roads around Washington D.C. — and a lot of them are simply getting stuck in traffic.
Much to the truckers' surprise, locals have expressed that they won't be supporting the convoy.
One trucker even complained recently that drivers are "flipping the bird" every time the convoy drives by.
pic.twitter.com/Q9KlVgTErr— Zachary Petrizzo (@Zachary Petrizzo) 1646934870
"We go around the Beltway. birds are flying. Birds are flying everywhere. That's the kind of people that live up [in Washington, D.C.]," a trucker told a Daily Beast reporter in a ride-along video posted to Twitter.
They've also had fewer COVID measures to protest against. In most states, mask mandates instituted by government have been removed, whereas in Canada, some provinces still have them in place. Most states also no longer have a vaccine passport.
However, some who support 'The People's Convoy' have stated that they are protesting a federal vaccine mandate, even though there isn't one.
Some Republican senators, like Ted Cruz of Texas, have been fully supporting the convoy, and have even hosted talks with truckers.
People have been quite critical of freedom convoys during the past few weeks, due to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. Activists, including some celebrities, have been comparing what Ukrainians have been going through to what the convoys have been protesting.
Dear \u201cfreedom convoy\u201d: Read the room. There\u2019s a real struggle going on for freedom in Ukraine. Take your petty, moot Covid grievances and go home, think about your lives and priorities, and donate to help Ukraine.— George Takei (@George Takei) 1646507450
It is currently unclear when the so-called "People's Convoy" will be packing up and heading home, although there are no signs that the U.S. government will be cracking down to make it happen at this point.
