OTTAWA, Feb 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Protesters again poured into Canada’s capital to join a convoy of truckers whose occupation of Ottawa to denounce COVID-19 vaccine mandates is now in its second week.
Individuals and families huddled around campfires in bone-chilling weather and erected bouncy castles for children outside Parliament, while waving Canadian flags and anti-government placards.
Police, who were out in force and erected barriers overnight to limit vehicle access to the city center, said they were expecting up to 2,000 protesters – as well as 1,000 counterprotesters – to join hundreds of truckers already clogging Ottawa streets.
But organisers of the so-called “Freedom Convoy” said they expected their numbers to swell into the tens of thousands.
Similar protests were planned for Toronto, Quebec City and Winnipeg.
The atmosphere early Saturday appeared more festive than a week earlier, when some protesters waved Confederate flags and Nazi symbols – which were condemned by government officials – and clashed with locals.
Police have vowed to end the “unlawful” occupation as soon as possible.
But on Saturday, there were signs the protesters were digging in. They had erected a wooden shed and tents to house food supplies for demonstrators and fuel for the big rigs.
One woman offered passersby hand-warmers as temperatures were forecast to plunge to -30 degrees Celsius.
The Freedom Convoy started on Canada’s Pacific coast in late January and picked up supporters along the trek to the capital. The protest has drawn more than 10 million Canadian dollars (US$8 million) in online donations.
The number of protesters in Ottawa had peaked at several thousand last Saturday, according to officials, before dwindling to a few hundred by midweek.
This weekend Ottawa police worked to contain the protests to the parliamentary precinct, after widespread complaints of harassment, threats and sleeplessness caused by incessant honking.
Meanwhile in MIAMI, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said it was fraud for GoFundMe to “commandeer” US$9 million in donations sent to support protesting truckdrivers in Canada and that he will investigate what he called “deceptive practices” by the website.
GoFundMe took down the so-called Freedom Convoy’s page on Friday, saying it violated its terms of service. It said donors had two weeks to request a refund, then remaining funds would be disbursed to “credible and established charities.”
DeSantis, a Republican, said on Twitter it was fraud for GoFundMe to give the money “to causes of their own choosing,” and he would work with Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to investigate. “(T)hese donors should be given a refund.”
In a Twitter post, the company said on Saturday that “due to donor feedback” it was simplifying the process and will be refunding all donations to the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser.
“This refund will happen automatically – you do not need to submit a request. Donors can expect to see refunds within 7-10 business days,” GoFundMe said in a tweet. — NNN-AGENCIES
