Justin Trudeau Condemns Freedom Convoy Protest: 'A Few People Shouting And Waving Swastikas'
As the "Freedom Convoy" continues for a second week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau firmly denounced the thousands of Canadian truckers protesting lockdowns and mask mandates.
Trudeau held an emergency debate in Parliament Monday, where he said the protesters don't represent who Canadians are.
“This is a story of a country that got through this pandemic by being united, and a few people shouting and waving swastikas does not define who Canadians are," Trudeau said, via The Daily Wire.
The thousands of truckers originally arrived in Ottawa, Ontario, the nation's capital, on Jan. 29. While blocking the streets, many wielded Canadian flags and "F*** Trudeau" banners. The protestors made perhaps their biggest stand Tuesday, blocking the entrance to the Ambassador Bridge, which serves as a border crossing from Windsor, Ontario to Detroit, Michigan.
Anti vaccine mandate protestors block the roadway leaving the Ambassador Bridge border crossing, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on February 8, 2022. - The protestors who are in support of the Truckers Convoy in Ottawa blocked traffic in the Canada bound lanes since Monday evening. Approximately $323 million worth of goods cross the Windsor-Detroit border each day at the Ambassador Bridge making it North Americas busiest international border crossing. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) (Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images)
The organization raised nearly $10 million in donations through GoFundMe -- which the fundraising company later blocked the release of. In a statement, the company said the message of the protest had shifted to become violent.
“We now have evidence from law enforcement that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity,” the statement reads.
Trudeau appears to be on the same page with GoFundMe, pleading with the truckers to pack up shop and leave the streets.
“Individuals are trying to blockade our economy, our democracy, and our fellow citizens’ daily lives It has to stop," Trudeau said. "The people of Ottawa don’t deserve to be harassed in their own neighborhoods."
Follow Nick Geddes on Twitter @NickGeddesNews and on Instagram @nick.geddes.