A lone protester stands draped in the Canadian flag at a fence controlling access to streets near Parliament, in Ottawa, Feb. 20, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
If federal and provincial governments don’t step up their commitments to teaching citizens how our governments work, social media will continue to fill in the void with misinformation.
A camper gets hauled away by authorities in Ottawa in front of a Bank of Montreal.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Patrick Leblond, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa and Costanza Musu, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
The backbone of the so-called freedom convoy’s activities was its access to a steady flow of financing from donors both domestic and foreign. The Emergencies Act put a stop to that.
Debris lies on the ground in front of Parliament Hill’s gates after police took action to clear Ottawa streets of trucks and protesters opposed to vaccine mandates.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
There have been bigger protests in other Canadian cities, but the so-called freedom convoy against vaccine mandates could be a sign of a rise in right-wing and libertarian sentiments.
A protester walks with a Canadian flag as police move in to clear downtown Ottawa near Parliament Hill of protesters after weeks of demonstrations.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Linda Mussell, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Suggesting jail or prison is appealing because it is tangible and the process is familiar, but we must ask what is a better, effective and safe way to de-escalate potentially violent situations.
People rally against provincial and federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates and in support of Ottawa protestors outside the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg on Feb. 4.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
The convoy’s comparison of Canada’s current government to Nazi Germany draws on previously existing statephobia.
A person holds a copy of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms during the so-called freedom convoy protest on Parliament Hill.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
The Canadian Constitution compels a proportionate weighing of all Charter rights against the threat of COVID-19, meaning that individual freedom is not absolute.
People gather to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and masking measures during a rally in Kingston, Ont., in November 2021. A woman carries a sign using an abortion rights slogan.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg
Participants in the “freedom convoy” have been allowed to carry on with minimal police and state interference in contrast to how Black and Indigenous protesters have been treated in the past.
A protester yells ‘freedom’ while attending the anti-vaccine mandate demonstrations in Ottawa.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Although anger is often an appropriate response to mistreatment, that doesn’t mean we always identify the source of the wrong or injustice correctly.
Protesters from across Canada came to the nation’s capital in Ottawa to demonstrate against vaccine mandates and other measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Canada’s international reputation as a relatively peaceful country is at odds with the noisy protests by people opposed to measures aimed at preventing COVID-19.
A transport truck, owned by Mercer Transportation Co Inc. dons 2 Chronicles 7:14 and a sign that reads ‘God Bless You’ at the “freedom convoy.”
(convoytraitors.ca)
A perception that the benefits and status people believe themselves entitled to have been wrongfully taken away by unforeseen forces motivates ‘freedom convoy’ protesters.
What happens when the voices of a few drown out the views of the many?
Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images
When an attention-based media system always allows the noise-makers to dominate the conversation, it becomes impossible to hear the full range of voices and views.
Traffic flows over the Ambassador Bridge joining Detroit and Windsor, Ont., a day after protesters who were blocking it were cleared by police under Ontario’s declaration of emergency.
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Racialized and marginalized populations whose protest movements are already subject to ongoing forms of monitoring, infiltration and pre-emptive police action are at risk from the convoy crisis.
A statue of Terry Fox at Parliament Hill was decorated with a Canadian flag, protest sign and hat when protesters participating in a cross-country convoy against measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
When the “freedom convoy” used the Terry Fox statue as part of their demonstration, people were outraged. It showed the public still finds value in protecting a memorial that represents their values.
Counter-protestors gather in support of vaccines and mandates to oppose the anti-vaccination protests that have grown into a broader anti-government movement tin Ottawa.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Doyle
To turn back the tides of radicalization and hate, Canada needs investments in our democratic culture, improvements in policing and support for grassroots efforts.
Conservative Party interim leader Candice Bergen smiles as she rises for the first time since assuming the position during Question Period in the House of Commons.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Democracy benefits from the electoral viability of an alternative party on the centre-right. An unelectable, far-right Conservative Party will solidify the Liberal Party’s dominance.
Movements like the ‘freedom convoy’ in Canada use similar language and sentiments as those expressed by followers of former U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, shown here in 2020 in New Delhi.
AP Photo/Manish Swarup
A study of global far-right movements and their hashtags on Twitter have revealed similarities that display a reliance on long-held myths, including the idea of a “golden age of freedom.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, surrounded by key members of his cabinet, announces his government will invoke the Emergencies Act.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time in Canadian history. His father had invoked its predecessor, the War Measures Act, more than half a century earlier.
Counter-protesters walk past ‘freedom convoy’ demonstrators in Ottawa.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Both faith and civil society groups have a role to play in speaking against polarization and the risk of violence, since these organizations enjoy bipartisan support.