Part 1 of 3 part series: Canadian Trucker Protest

“Why the Fuck are Canadian Truckers Flying the Confederate Flag?”

Canada’s anti-vaxxer protest is giving off some heavy American insurrection vibes

Freedom Convoy 2022

Ariel Troster, a podcast host and community activist who lives in Ottawa, posted a troubling photo to her Twitter page yesterday. It was a picture of a pickup truck driving down Elgin Street with both a Canadian flag and a racist Confederate flag hanging from it.

Now, you may have heard about the cross-country trucking caravan that started its journey in British Columbia on January 15th. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of truckers are making their way to the nation’s capital, in part, to protest vaccine mandates.

Joe Rogan talked about it on his podcast. Tucker Carlson discussed it on his nightly political commentary show. Elon Musk tweeted about it. In between sniffs, Don Trump Jr. endorsed the rally on his own Twitter page.

While more than 93% of B.C. truckers have received their vaccinations, many of the unvaccinated minority are steamrolling to the grounds of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa to show Prime Minister Trudeau that they’re hopping mad.

According to the Freedom Convoy 2022 Facebook page, the goal of these truckers is to “encourage the Canadian Government to repeal its Covid tracking passport/phone app and all Covid-19 vaccine mandates.”

As the caravan made its way across Canada, like a Covid denying Pied Piper, it gathered thousands of unvaccinated supporters. Anti-vaxxers lined streets and bridges as the truckers passed through their towns and cities. Fans waved homemade flags, and they shouted and sang the Canadian national anthem in support. Some even jumped into their own cars and followed along.

Participants have maintained that they intend to take part in a peaceful protest. They say they want no violence, in case anyone is worried about that sort of thing. They will simply block up the roads in Ottawa to draw attention to their cause.

But the racist confederate flag hanging from that pickup truck in Elgin might be your first ominous indication that something else is up.

Follow the money, follow the power

It turns out that the organizers of the Freedom Convoy 2022 aren’t exactly peace-loving hippies.

Tamara Lich and B.J. Dichter, listed as the organizers of the movement’s GoFundMe page which has amassed more than 6 million dollars in donations, are not truckers.

Lich, who lives in Medicine Hat, Alberta, served as an organizer for Yellow Vests Canada, an organization associated with members of Canada’s ‘far-right’ movement that often spews anti-muslim racism. She is currently working as secretary for the Maverick party, a fringe political party in Alberta whose initial aim was to separate from Canada. She’s also been known to share Islamaphobic conspiracy theories on her social media pages and make anti-muslim comments as well.

“Canadians, are you paying attention yet? … We do not want the Muslim Brotherhood in Canada.”, Lich posted on Facebook

B.J. Dichter, a supporter of the anti-immigrant far-right People’s Party of Canada, shares Lich’s sentiments on Muslims. In 2019, he claimed that “Despite what our corporate media and political leaders want to admit, Islamist entryism and the adaptation of political Islam is rotting away at our society like syphilis.”

These are the two people in control of the 6 million dollars donated to the movement, let me remind you. And it doesn’t end there.

Pat King, one of the most vocal organizers of the convoy, is also a former Yellow Vest member, and also a part of the separatist ‘Wexit’ movement in Alberta. He uses his prominent voice to make disparaging remarks about immigrants and LGBTQ people, and warns his followers about an “Anglo-Saxon replacement”. In 2020, he organized a violent counter-protest against anti-racist demonstrators.

So, if the most powerful voices in the anti-vaccine mandate rally are actually really just far-right wackjobs, isn’t it wise to question the motives of the entire thing?

The Canadian Trucking Alliance supports vaccine mandates

On January 26th, rocker Danko Jones tweeted a photo of two random truckers in the convoy being interviewed by the CBC the previous night. One was wearing a TRUMP baseball cap. The other was wearing a yellow Star of David on his shirt.

“I keep getting told that the anti-vaxx truck convoy isn’t made up of racists”, Danko tweeted.

The truth is, the convoy is being led by racists. Those same types of people that stormed the Capitol building on January 6th, 2021, are on their way through Ottawa today.

Canadian reality TV show host, Gail Vaz-Oxlade, posted an exasperated “What the fuck are Canadians doing flying the Confederate flag?” on Twitter.

Those aren’t necessarily Canadians.

It would be no wonder if American supporters are streaming through the Canadian border. This isn’t just about the vaccine, for the most part.

It’s about far-right sentiment. American right-wingers waving Confederate flags should be an expected addition.

Anti-immigrant. Anti-liberal. Anti-Trudeau. Anti-vaccine. Pro-white. Can you understand why Vijaydeep Singh Sahasi, President of the West Coast Trucking Association, was never even approached to take part in the rally? He is vaccinated. He is of Seikh descent.

In fact, the Canadian Trucking Alliance doesn’t support this convoy. In a joint statement with the Canadian government, this federation which represents a cross-section of the industry across the country, voiced its support for vaccine mandates.

The Prime Minister

Shortly before the bulk of the convoy arrived in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he had been in contact with someone who contracted the coronavirus. As a result, he would have to quarantine for 5 days.

Members of the right-wing convoy have been calling him a coward online. They say he’s in hiding because he doesn’t want to face the protest.

That actually may be in his best interest. It’s probably a wise idea, with a potential security threat looming, to keep the Prime Minister away from the throngs of protestors for a few days.

We’ve all seen what happened in the United States when hoards of angry right-wingers stormed the Capitol building. It’s best to be prepared.

Now, is there an argument for reducing or removing the vaccine mandates? There could be.

In a democracy that is supposed to allow free thought and free expression, peaceful protest and honest discussion are welcomed. As this convoy arrives in Ottawa today, there may be some well-reasoned arguments for reducing the mandates.

But they’re all being obscured by the ugly and dangerous origins and leadership of the movement. In the end, this is a parade of right-wing propaganda, similar to the 2019 trucker rally that took place in Ottawa to protest the Trudeau government’s treatment of the oil and gas sector (many of the same shady players were involved in that rally).

Podcaster Ariel Troster summed it up best, in a follow-up tweet to her initial posting:

“Remember that racism is not about intent. It’s about impact. If you willingly participate in a gathering that includes white supremacists, then you are platforming white supremacy. Period.”

Read part 2 of this “Canadian Trucker Protest” series here: