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Agence France-Presse

A protest movement by Canadian truckers angered over Covid-19 vaccine rules has become a rallying point for opponents of pandemic restrictions, firing up crowds from New York to New Zealand.
In New York, dozens of municipal workers facing dismissal unless they get shots marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to City Hall on Monday carrying giant US and Canadian flags.
“Unvaccinated Lives Matter” and “Workers Are Essential, Mandates Are Not”, read signs carried by the crowd, which included firefighters and teachers.
In New Zealand, inspired by the Canadian “Freedom Convoy”, trucks and campervans blocked streets near parliament in Wellington on Tuesday to protest against Covid-19 restrictions and vaccinations. Protests continued on Wednesday.

Hundreds of vehicles plastered with messages such as “Give Us Back Our Freedom” parked in streets surrounding the parliament building.
Others drove around the city centre with horns blaring as over 1,000 protesters on foot listened to speeches.
What Ottawa’s trucker protest says about the liberal-democratic decline
“I’m actually vaccinated but I’m against mandating people to be vaccinated,” said Stu Main, of Wellington. “I think it’s disgraceful, forcing vaccination on people who don’t want it.”
Several Wellington protesters carried Canadian flags, including an expatriate named Billy, who declined to give his surname.
“I’m just supporting the brothers in Canada, fighting for freedom over there,” he said.

The Canadian protests have often tapped into right-wing politics, with Donald Trump flags at rallies and huge interest on conservative online sites.
In France, calls were circulating on Facebook for protesters to descend on Paris for anti-mandate demonstrations this weekend.
Similar appeals were launched in Belgium.
Some of the most vociferous support for the Canadian demonstrators has come from Republican officials in the United States, where Covid-19 mask and vaccination mandates have become a highly partisan issue.
Compulsory Covid-19 vaccination rules come into force in Austria
“The Freedom Convoy is peacefully protesting the harsh policies of far left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates,” former president Trump said.
“Now, thankfully, the Freedom Convoy could be coming to DC with American Truckers who want to protest (President Joe) Biden’s ridiculous Covid policies,” he said in a statement.


There has been no protest in Washington so far, but more than 100 truck drivers in Alaska drove from Anchorage to Eagle River on Sunday to support the Canadian demonstrators, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican, addressed a rally in Eagle River, ADN said, telling the crowd he did not believe the federal government “has the power to look at American citizens and say ‘either you get vaccinated or you get fired from your job’.”
According to the US Centers for Disease Control, fully vaccinated people are significantly less likely to die of the disease than non-vaccinated people.
Several Republican officials in US states have called meanwhile for investigations into GoFundMe after the fundraising site stopped taking donations for the “Freedom Convoy” protest.
Canada rules out use of troops against Ottawa Covid-19 protests
GoFundMe removed the “Freedom Convoy” donation page on Friday, claiming it violated the site’s terms of service that “prohibit user content that reflects or promotes behaviour in support of violence”.
GoFundMe said it would refund all of the donations.
After the GoFundMe cut-off, organisers launched a donation drive on GiveSendGo, which describes itself as the “leader in Christian fundraising”. More than us$6.3 million has been raised on GiveSendGo as of Tuesday.
The “Freedom Convoy” demonstrations began January 9 in western Canada as protests by truckers angry with vaccine requirements when crossing the US-Canadian border.
They have since morphed into broader protests against Covid restrictions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government.
Trudeau demanded an end on Monday to the protest that has paralysed Ottawa, saying “It has to stop”.
“This pandemic has sucked for all Canadians,” he said. “But Canadians know the way to get through it is continuing to listen to science, continuing to lean on each other.”


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Coronavirus pandemic

Canadian Covid-19 anti-vax truckers inspire copycat ‘freedom’ protests

A protester beats a drum as truckers continue to protest in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Photo: EPA

City workers protest against a Covid-19 vaccine mandate in New York City. Photo: AFP

Protesters in Wellington, New Zealand on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Coronavirus protests: Canada’s anti-vax truckers block key border crossing with US

A woman waves a flag and cheers on truckers protesting against Covid-19 vaccine mandates in Ottawa. Photo: TNS

Hundreds of trucks and truck drivers attempting to cross Ambassador Bridge from Detroit, Michigan, to Windsor, Canada are stuck on the US side on Tuesday after the bridge was closed by Canadian protesters over vaccine mandates. Photo: Bloomberg

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Canada trucker protest: police seize fuel as court clamps down on honking

A person fuels a truck on Monday after police said they would be targeting the protestors’ fuel supply in Ottawa. Photo: Reuters

People attend a rally and a sit-in at the Canadian capital on Monday, as a protest by truck drivers over Covid-19 restrictions continues. Photo: EPA-EFE

Children play in bouncy castle as truckers and their supporters continue to protest against vaccine mandates in Ottawa on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

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Truckers are paralysing the Canadian capital Ottawa in anger at Covid-19 rules
Canada demonstrations inspire protests elsewhere against vaccine mandates



A protest movement by Canadian truckers angered over Covid-19 vaccine rules has fired up crowds from New York to New Zealand.


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Canadian Covid-19 anti-vax truckers inspire copycat ‘freedom’ protests

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Truckers are paralysing the Canadian capital Ottawa in anger at Covid-19 rules Canada demonstrations inspire protests elsewhere against vaccine mandates

Truckers are paralysing the Canadian capital Ottawa in anger at Covid-19 rules

Canada demonstrations inspire protests elsewhere against vaccine mandates