Freedom Convoy at BC Parliament in Victoria

A large protest took place right in front of the BC legislature this Saturday, demanding the end of COVID mandates.

Given the fact that the homeless have been disproportionately affected by COVID restrictions (remember when Our Place closed?), I decided to attend and cover the protest. Well, it was largely personal too.

It started in earnest around 11h45. At first the crowd was rather thin, and at the beginning the counter protesters seemed to be as numerous as those protesting mandates, but it quickly swelled to several hundred protesters as a convoy of dozens of vehicles arrived and began circling around the block. And it was loud, with nonstop blaring horns being outright deafening at times. Otherwise it was peaceful and festive, and the police just stood by and watched.

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The protesters’ stances were varied, and I would rather not comment on individual positions. Some kind of consensus could be seen to emerge as the event progressed, though; allow me to paraphrase them:

• “Enough is enough, we want our freedoms back.”
• “No more hatred, prejudice, segregation, and divisiveness. Can’t we just come together, agree to disagree, and move on?”
• “We’re not fringe, racist, or alt-right; we just care about civil rights. Especially that charter thing.”
• “This isn’t about health, but control.”
• “My body, my choice. Same goes for my children, so hands off.”
• “Mandates’ effectiveness have proven… disappointing. Especially the vaccine mandate. So why bother anymore.”
• “We’re tired of lies and fear-mongering by governments, and of the mainstream media’s reluctance to challenge the official narrative.”
• “There are many other issues killing people out there, and they’ve all taken the back seat during the pandemic. How about readjusting our priorities?”
• “Fuck Trudeau!” (this one isn’t paraphrased, trust me.)

In contrast, fringe views proved rather inconspicuous. I’ve witnessed an Infowars flag and a 9/11 truther van, among others, but they were few and far between, and not a single svastika or neoconfederate flag. The vast majority of protesters, regardless of their views, genuinely protested against COVID mandates and had no hidden agenda. Also, a significant proportion seemed to be vaccinated, or at least didn’t openly express anti-vaccine opinions. And this is a clear sign that governments have taken it too far. When ordinary people decide to take their grievances to the streets, determined not to leave until their demands are met, it’s about time elected officials take the hint and adjust their stance accordingly, before protesters hold them accountable at the polls for ignoring their grievances. Once again, civil rights battles are decided in the court of public opinion, not in courtrooms or in Parliament.

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