Seen it all already? Well, the whole event went off script this Saturday, so keep reading.
Events took an unexpected turn at this Saturday’s edition of the Freedom Convoy here at the BC Parliament in Victoria, when the police erected multiple blockades designed to thwart the convoy proper’s plan to circle around the Legislative Assembly yet again, in the name of “de-escalation”.
Of course there was a convoy, but to see it one had to walk upstream on Douglas Street, past Belleville Street’s blockade, where the police diverted the traffic away from Parliament. Rumour went that such blockades had been set all across James Bay to prevent the convoy from working its way around it, at least in an organised fashion. I was able to capture some footage nonetheless:
Of course the roughly one thousand hobbyists waiting faithfully at the rendez-vous point were disappointed. We’d all come to see a big convoy of honking trucks, right? Well, the organisers decided that if the convoy could not come to us, then we would go to the convoy! So the crowd departed for the march much sooner than the police anticipated, and their plan turned against them: the protesters ended up causing far more traffic disruption than previous weeks when the convoy made it unimpeded, while some convoy vehicles sneaked behind the march anyway. I bet the police won’t try again next week.
The marchers rallied at Douglas and Pandora for more speeches, then went on Fisgard and turned around on Government Street. That didn’t seem to be part of the plan either, as a segment of the road was under construction.
I’ve captured some entertaining footage on the way, of an impromptu counter-protester haranguing the marchers:
Finally, I would like to illustrate just how much protesting has been taking place at Parliament recently, with the lawn all over turning to mud:
You should see my shoes and pants. We’re all getting muddy in this mudslinging match, the protesters and politicians both, the latter which fear it far more than the former. Stay tuned for more coverage and hopefully a happy conclusion for everyone; in any case, it’s bound to be entertaining.
Previous Freedom Convoy coverage:
Those who walked in the first half of today's pride parade in Victoria missed the real event: a street blockade…
The harsh sun must have hit people on the head pretty hard for hostility on both sides to flare this…
Have a glance into the rift between hereditary indigenous leaders and Indian Act band councils, and the complex politics fuelling…
Today we didn't merely clamour for a ceasefire abroad; we also denounced violence happening right here in Victoria.
Scotiabank may have recently reduced its share of weapon manufacturer Elbit Systems from 5.1 to 4.3 percent, activists actually push…
We kept warning the City of Victoria that transgender people would get hurt if the We Unify conference were allowed…
