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Ottawa (AFP) – The trucker-led protest against anti-covid health measures in Canada inspired similar movements as far as Europe and New Zealand.
While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he has “all options on the table” to end the blockade of border crossings between the United States and Canada, and thousands of other vehicles are headed for Paris, here’s a global panorama.
– Canada’s “Freedom Convoy” –
Canada’s christened “Freedom Convoy” started operations in the west of the country in late January, amid the anger of truck drivers who had to be vaccinated against Covid-19, tested or isolated around the border between the United States and Canada.
While a vast majority of the country’s truck drivers have been vaccinated, a group of angry anti-vaccine and like-minded truck drivers have closed down the center of Canada’s capital Ottawa for the past two weeks, in a loud and sometimes excited protest.
The movement became a much wider protest against health regulations against the pandemic and, also, against the Trudeau government.
Hundreds of vehicles are still parked on Parliament Hill, below Trudeau’s offices.
In the past week, they blocked three major border crossings with the United States, including the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit, which is used daily by more than 40,000 travelers and trucks with merchandise worth an average of $323 million.
This has caused a special chaos in the economy. Major automakers have been forced to cut production at several plants in the region.
The province of Ontario, the epicenter of the protests, declared a state of emergency on Friday, with Trudeau pointing out that “everything is on the table as this illegal activity must be stopped”.
The US Department of Homeland Security asked Canada to use “federal powers” to remedy the situation.
– New Zealand follows –
In New Zealand, activists camped for four days in Wellington’s Parliament Gardens in a protest that began Tuesday as a replica of the Canadian convoy.
However, it led to clashes with the police, leaving more than 120 detainees behind.
The number of protesters rose to nearly 1,500 on Friday as officers slackened their efforts to disperse the protests.
– France: protests across Europe –
Thousands of vehicles approached Paris on Friday in convoys from all over France, with many participants hoping to blockade the capital to protest Covid vaccination rules and other health restrictions.
The French demonstrators departed from cities such as Bayonne, Perpignan and Lyon.
Paris police tried to stop the demonstrations, claiming they would ban convoys and prevent roads from being blocked, threatening heavy fines or even jail time.
Belgium
Belgian authorities also said they would ban convoys from meeting in Brussels on Monday, according to a call for protest circulating on social media.
– Austria –
Meanwhile, Austrian police announced a ban on any “Freedom Convoy” after reports that several hundred vehicles also converged in Vienna and near a large public park in the Austrian capital.
United States
US advocates for the Canadian protesters took to social media to announce the “People’s Convoy” of truck drivers and “all freedom-loving Americans” that would gather in East Los Angeles on Thursday, March 4 for a two-day rally. , possibly towards Washington.
© 2022 AFP
