Freedom Convoy Protesters Gather at BC Parliament in Victoria
For a third Saturday in a row, thousands of protesters identifying with the Freedom Convoy movement swarmed around the Parliament building, demanding the end of all COVID mandates.
The crowd was even larger than last Saturday, as well as bolder and louder. There were also way more vehicles, to the point that the convoy would occasionally look like a traffic jam, and it felt like there were even more tires on the road than boots on the ground. The crowd was also more likely to engage with the drivers, and the drivers with the crowd, which would occasionally have the police intervene for traffic to resume.
The message was vaguely the same as in the previous protests, with an additional emphasis on how protesters take offence at politicians, especially Justin Trudeau, labelling them a fringe minority egged on by far-right groups. More than ever did it feel like a massive family gathering, many protesters bringing their own children to show they’re ordinary hard-working families that have suffered hardship under pandemic restrictions.
There was also even greater outcry over what protesters perceive as governments lying to them and the mainstream media suppressing dissenting views; well, given how inconsistent the message and restrictions have been, coupled with the said restrictions’ manifest failure, it’s not only to be expected but also understandable.
Of course there were counterprotesters as well. I had a conversation with a lady who observed that protesters were more likely to be friendly, while more counterprotesters were more likely to be hostile, the latter most likely out of fear. I honestly couldn’t agree more: the hostility came squarely from mandate supporters, while many protesters advocated for bridging the divide instead.
These Freedom Convoys are expected to continue indefinitely, every Saturday. While not outright disruptive, they are becoming difficult for the BC government to ignore; if nothing else, the political fallout from the press coverage is bound to make public officials nervous, while enforcing compliance is rapidly becoming impossible. My bet would be that the movement will prove successful in altering public policy, because public opinion is rapidly turning around and dissenters are growing bolder, while governments simply do not have a plan to regain control of the situation.
