OTTAWA, Canada — “It’s nothing but smiles, good vibes, support, love, appreciation, resistance, and freedom thoughts,” Dave from Montreal told me on Wednesday with a slight Quebecois accent, describing the ongoing protests against Chinese coronavirus mandates in the nation’s capital.
Dave traveled to Canada’s capital to help support truckers and other protesters in front of Parliament Hill, pairing up with an elderly lady to sustain the rally’s participants with coffee, hot chocolate, assorted protein bars, soups, sandwiches, and whatever else others donated.
Truckers began organizing convoys from Western Canada the week prior in opposition to the federal government’s decree that “unvaccinated” Canadian truck drivers re-entering the country by land subject themselves to a 14-day “quarantine.” “Unvaccinated” foreign truckers are now denied entry to Canada.
The atmosphere of the protest on Saturday in downtown Ottawa was cheerful, happy, and infectious. Despite daytime temperatures around -20 Celsius (about -4ºF), Canadians coming together in opposition to human rights violations in the name of “public health” were upbeat.
Thousands of people were present on and around Parliament Hill on Wednesday, many flashing big smiles beaming from bare faces. The protesters contrasted starkly with the grim scenes of masked government employees scuttling about the area on a normal weekday.
Anti-social distancing was replaced by social closeness. The sea of persons on Wellington Street resembled the thickness of people normally seen on Canada Day, not unlike a busy nightclub or concert in terms of density. Thousands of people were within inches of one another. Walking past someone smoking a cigarette was nerve-wracking when wearing a pricey and bulky winter jacket. (Read More…)