1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Hundreds of truckers continue to roll east and with more 2 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: joining the movement. With each passing city, feelings towards vaccine 3 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: mandates have heightened, and I advocate civil war. If people 4 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 1: don't want to stand up, we got guns. We'll stand 5 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: up and we'll bring them off. Sucking a guys, let's 6 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:23,759 Speaker 1: get pumped for this. Let's go to fucking Ottawa. I 7 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 1: want to see one of those truckers. I wouldn't probably 8 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: not not known of our guys obviously, but I would 9 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:31,400 Speaker 1: like to see our own January six event. See some 10 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:43,120 Speaker 1: of those truckers plowed right through that sixty football Welcome 11 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: to It could happen here, or in this case, it 12 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: did happen here, slashes still happening here and uh the 13 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:56,360 Speaker 1: here in this case being Canada. In recent weeks, the 14 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: idea of only a few thousand people totally choking amy 15 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: your city, holding it hostage to bargain for political demands, 16 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: while overwhelming and getting a foot up on law enforcement, 17 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 1: taking over and shutting down a sizeable portion of a 18 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: popular metropolitan area and simultaneously blocking off supply lines, trade routes, 19 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:18,399 Speaker 1: and multiple international border crossings is exactly the kind of 20 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 1: thing this podcast has been talking about for years as 21 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:24,760 Speaker 1: a potential anti government resistance tactic that could become more 22 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 1: common as political tensions rise in North America. Specifically, a 23 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: few weeks ago, when the so called Trucker Convoy was 24 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: still in its planning stages, I wasn't super eager to 25 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: cover it on the pod. Actually, I assumed it would 26 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 1: be a flop and just another dumb anti COVID protest 27 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:45,399 Speaker 1: in a long line of anti COVID protests happening in Canada. 28 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: Flash forward to me at the end of January, and 29 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: it became apparent that I was solely mistaken and this 30 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: thing was shaping up to be a significant factor in 31 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: Canada's political ecosystem going forward. In my haste to catch 32 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: up to the moment, I recorded two episodes with the 33 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: wonderful journalist Dan Cullen, explaining the situation as it was 34 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:10,079 Speaker 1: at the prospective times of recording. But as the tensions 35 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: in Ottawa and all across Canada arose and the situation 36 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 1: gained more and more complexity, I decided that the convoy 37 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 1: and subsequent blockades required a more researched and scripted deep dive. 38 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: The more I dug into the situation, the more it 39 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,520 Speaker 1: seemed to embody the exact thing I was warning about 40 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 1: in my two previous scripted episodes about Canada and the 41 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: far right, titled Canadian Fascism A the apologies for the title, 42 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: but you can find those if you scroll through the 43 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 1: It could Happen Here feed. Don't think they came out 44 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:43,679 Speaker 1: around like November ish of what I wanted to get 45 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: across in those episodes is that Canada is often seen 46 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: as an escape from the more divisive, violent, and fascist 47 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:56,799 Speaker 1: elements of US politics and culture. But just like climate change, capitalism, 48 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:00,960 Speaker 1: or any other enveloping force cough cough, hyper objects cough cough, 49 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 1: fascism and the slide towards it can never be truly 50 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: escaped right. There is no other, There is no away, 51 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: and it's especially hard to see it when it's growing 52 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,640 Speaker 1: on the back of your own head, primarily through Islamophobia. 53 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:20,919 Speaker 1: Far right ethno nationalist tendencies have been bubbling under the 54 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:24,640 Speaker 1: surface of Canada for a long while, and since Trudeau 55 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 1: has taken office in twenty fifteen, there has been a 56 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: perfect politically allowed boogeyman to blame every problem onto that 57 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: can include everything from Trudeau is taking away our oil 58 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 1: and gas jobs, or Trudeau is bringing in Muslim terrorists 59 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 1: to Canada, or Trudeau is starving your children through health 60 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: man dates. Canadian right wing protests has been steadily growing 61 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 1: the past five years. There's been multiple flare ups of 62 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: far right rhetoric with the Canadian Yellow Vests, the Westerns 63 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: that produced we Exit or Western Exit movement, and the 64 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:03,640 Speaker 1: pseudo fascist People's Party of Canada. The incorporation of pandemic 65 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: conspiracies and anti vaccine sentiments into the already disaffected rural 66 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: Canadian right wingers, starting and continuing to the present, has 67 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: accelerated not only the conspiratorial fall right rhetoric among conservative voters, 68 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,280 Speaker 1: but also what is seen as a valid political action 69 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,920 Speaker 1: in those people's eyes. But before we get into how 70 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 1: the convoy started with anger concerning COVID nineteen health man 71 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: dates and misinformation concerning empty store shelves, we have to 72 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:34,359 Speaker 1: first go back in time to even before the COVID 73 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:38,719 Speaker 1: nineteen virus was a blip on anyone's radar. In February 74 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:43,680 Speaker 1: twenty nineteen, the Canadian Yellowsts organized something called the United 75 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 1: We Roll Convoy. The result was around a hundred and 76 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 1: seventy trucks driving cross country through the more liberal East 77 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:54,840 Speaker 1: to Ottawa. The result was around a hundred seventy trucks 78 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 1: driving from the West cross country to the more liberal 79 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:01,239 Speaker 1: East and eventually to Ottawa. The goal was to represent 80 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 1: the concerns of disenfranchised oil and gas workers in the 81 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:09,039 Speaker 1: Western provinces and their opposition to propose environmental and new 82 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:14,039 Speaker 1: energy policies. Yellow Vests Canada was largely founded by individuals 83 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,720 Speaker 1: already associated with Canada's far right, which at the time 84 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: was primarily united through anti Muslim racism and Islamophobia. Inspired 85 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 1: by the French Heelovest movement, they copied their aesthetics and 86 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: adopted new grievances and reaction ay maatoric and get them 87 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: a much larger audience. By the time United We Roll 88 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 1: arrived in Ottawa, the media started to catch on to 89 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 1: the more problematic elements about their organization. Neo Nazi faith 90 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 1: goal Eat spoke on a stage. Many members of hate 91 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 1: groups responded in attendance, and with the numbers so low, 92 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:49,800 Speaker 1: it made their more extreme participants stick out. Instead of 93 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:52,679 Speaker 1: focusing the message on oil and gas, as they claimed 94 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: to represent Western alienation from a distant Liberal Ottawa. Some 95 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:00,600 Speaker 1: of its participants seemed more interested in protesting Ottawa's immigration 96 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:06,160 Speaker 1: policies then arguing for specific fixes for Alberta's oil patch. Plus, 97 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:09,479 Speaker 1: if you peeked inside any Canadian Yellow vest Facebook group, 98 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:12,479 Speaker 1: you would be flooded with hundreds of examples of explicit 99 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: anti Muslim racism and calls for a Prime Minister Justin 100 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 1: Trudeau's arrest and execution, a theme that remains common among 101 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: COVID conspiracy demonstrations today. But at the end of it, 102 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 1: United We Rull was widely considered a bust, with only 103 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: a few hundred participants in Ottawa, and despite raising almost 104 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:34,680 Speaker 1: a hundred and fifty thousand dollars, the organizers failed to 105 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:37,400 Speaker 1: disclose how much of that money was actually spent on 106 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:41,120 Speaker 1: convoy expenses like gas and food. Afterwards, the Yellow Vests 107 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 1: Canada movement started to kind and die out, though some 108 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,839 Speaker 1: holdouts kept smaller demonstrations going for months, particularly in the 109 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 1: conservative oil province of Alberta. But to us now United 110 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 1: We Rule can be seen as a small test run 111 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:58,479 Speaker 1: for the current situation in in fact, it shares many 112 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: of the same organizers and even the same promotional materials 113 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:05,159 Speaker 1: except this time they have the added weight of many 114 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: more people radicalized into conspiracism throughout the pandemic and much 115 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: more funding. So with that in mind, let's dive into 116 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 1: the components of the initial organizing effort. On January two, 117 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 1: go fund me account was set up for a so 118 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 1: called trucker convoy ahead of the January fifteenth adoption of 119 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:29,000 Speaker 1: the mandate requiring all cross border transportation drivers to be 120 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 1: fully vaccinated against COVID. Nineteen Vaccine mandates in Canada have 121 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: been in effect since October for ship crews, railways and 122 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:42,320 Speaker 1: airline workers, but effective January fifteenth, the federal government expanded 123 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:45,320 Speaker 1: the requirement to truck drivers returning from the States, and 124 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: those who will remain unvaccinated will not be able to 125 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: enter Canada without quarantine. One week later, a reciprocal policy 126 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 1: went into effect in the United States for Canadian truckers 127 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:57,119 Speaker 1: crossing into their border, which means going forward, you cannot 128 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 1: really cross the border at all, well remaining unvaccinated. At 129 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:04,000 Speaker 1: this point in mid January, a majority of Canadians still 130 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,120 Speaker 1: broadly supported health mandates aimed at limiting the spread of COVID, 131 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 1: but a big part of the early propaganda push for 132 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 1: the convoy was photos alleged to have been from current 133 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 1: Canadian grocery stores, which they were not, with barren empty shelves. 134 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 1: The idea was that COVID restrictions were already severely impacting 135 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 1: the supply line, and any additional mandates would begin to 136 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 1: start with the population and effectively shut down international trade. 137 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 1: Put a note in this idea, by the way, it 138 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: will come up later. Ideas for another truck convoy like 139 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:37,079 Speaker 1: United We Roll have been tossed around for a while online, 140 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 1: and with this new mandate on truckers and vaccines, a 141 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:44,040 Speaker 1: time presented itself to give the convoy idea another go. 142 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 1: In the early truck convoy organizing, they were primarily four 143 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:52,839 Speaker 1: familiar far right faces who working together to set things up, 144 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:56,160 Speaker 1: none of whom are truck drivers. By the way, the 145 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:59,320 Speaker 1: originally listed organizers on the go fund me page where 146 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 1: Tomorrow and b. J. Ditcher both have notable experience with 147 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 1: far right organizing. Tamaraw Lich was born in my home 148 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: province of Saskatchewan, but now hails from the town of 149 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:14,320 Speaker 1: Medicine Hat, Alberta, where she served as an organizer for 150 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 1: a Yellow Vests Canada, a regional coordinator for the separatist 151 00:09:18,559 --> 00:09:22,240 Speaker 1: Western Exit or we Exit movement in Alberta and now 152 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:25,440 Speaker 1: the secretary for the Maverick Party, another far right, extreme 153 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:29,199 Speaker 1: ac separatist movement and fringe political party. Litch started attending 154 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 1: and boosting Yellow Vest events starting in and her social 155 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:35,200 Speaker 1: media posts from around the time show in one moment 156 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:38,319 Speaker 1: calling out some hateful rhetoric from within the movement, while 157 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 1: also posting Islamophobic articles of her own and conspiracies about 158 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: the Muslim Brotherhood operating in Canada. A few days after 159 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:50,400 Speaker 1: the go fund me was created, Benjamin B. J. Ditcher, 160 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:54,200 Speaker 1: one time Conservative Party of Canada candidate, People's Party of 161 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:57,600 Speaker 1: Canada booster and co founder of a Canadian far right 162 00:09:57,679 --> 00:10:01,839 Speaker 1: podcast network, appeared as a organizer on the go fund 163 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:06,680 Speaker 1: me page. Twenty nineteen. He claimed that Islamist entryism is 164 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 1: rotting away our society like syphilis. Benjamin Ditcher was also 165 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:13,280 Speaker 1: one of the first people to give a speech at 166 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:17,120 Speaker 1: the first proto fascist People's Party of Canada conference in Quebec, 167 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:20,280 Speaker 1: saying that the Conservative Party of Canada is suffering from 168 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:23,599 Speaker 1: the stench of cultural relativism and political Islam, and a 169 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:25,680 Speaker 1: whole bunch of stuff you know in that general vein. 170 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:29,560 Speaker 1: James Botter was another one of the four key organizers 171 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: of the trucker convoy to Ottawa. Botter is an admitted 172 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 1: conspiracy theorist who has endorsed Q and on and called 173 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:39,560 Speaker 1: COVID the biggest political scam in history. He's also a 174 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:42,920 Speaker 1: former activist with the Yellow Vests Canada and United we role. 175 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:47,559 Speaker 1: Potter's main project, however, is running the Canada Unity website, 176 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:50,240 Speaker 1: which is one of the original nexus points for organizing 177 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:53,960 Speaker 1: and spreading word about this convoy. The group contends that 178 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:58,560 Speaker 1: vaccine mandates and passports are illegal under Canada's constitution, the 179 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:03,319 Speaker 1: Nuremberg Code, and a host of other international conventions. Potter 180 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:06,720 Speaker 1: has long been a fringe figure, but his movements started 181 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:10,360 Speaker 1: picking up steam and support as announcements and continuations of 182 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 1: restrictions aimed at curbing COVID nineteen spread have continued. The 183 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:18,280 Speaker 1: supposed plight of the truckers proved to be a sympathetic 184 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:22,319 Speaker 1: cause on Facebook and attracted an array of fellow travelers. 185 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:26,880 Speaker 1: The last big major player is Patrick King, another former 186 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 1: Yellow vestor one time major figure in the Wexit movement, 187 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:35,440 Speaker 1: as well as United we Roll On January two, Pat 188 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:38,720 Speaker 1: King hosted a live stream for James Botter to promote 189 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 1: the Canada Unity website and to announce it as the 190 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:45,880 Speaker 1: official page for the Freedom Trucker Convoy, or as they 191 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 1: called it, Operation Bear Hug. King is a conspiracy theorist 192 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:54,600 Speaker 1: and popular streamer that attracts the audience farther right than 193 00:11:54,679 --> 00:11:59,120 Speaker 1: Canada's usual conservatives. King's made headlines for drumming up fear 194 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:02,560 Speaker 1: and then following through with his supporters with violence at 195 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:06,640 Speaker 1: rally's put on by BLM and Antifa. King is also 196 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:09,600 Speaker 1: known for spreading what are basically neo Nazi talking points. 197 00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:11,560 Speaker 1: And I'm just going to quote from an article by 198 00:12:11,559 --> 00:12:13,920 Speaker 1: the Canadian Anti Hate Network here because they did a 199 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 1: great job tracking his past extremism quote. In the past, 200 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:20,679 Speaker 1: King has gone on record about his feelings on the 201 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:25,200 Speaker 1: Anglo Saxon replacement that plans to quote flood Canada with 202 00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 1: refugees and subvert the education system, which is a thin 203 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:33,240 Speaker 1: rebranding of the Great Replacement theory touted by ethno nationalists. 204 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 1: At other points, the King is expressed overtly racist and 205 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:40,200 Speaker 1: anti Semitic statements. In the twenty nineteen stream about the 206 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:43,240 Speaker 1: then upcoming federal election. King complained that he had to 207 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 1: leave the movement due to their lack of success, saying, quote, 208 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 1: the election wote matter unless you want to change your 209 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 1: national language to Chinese, or Mandarin or Hebrew. He then 210 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 1: went on to compare Chinese names to the sound of 211 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:59,160 Speaker 1: change falling downstairs. He is publicly distorted facts, but the 212 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:02,640 Speaker 1: Holocaust of form of Holocaust denial, saying I do know 213 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,400 Speaker 1: that the Holocaust was reduced to one point five million 214 00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 1: and not the six million that it was said to be. 215 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:11,240 Speaker 1: He then invoked the anti Semitic conspiracy theory that Jewish 216 00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:16,200 Speaker 1: people are secretly in control of world governance, media, and finances, saying, quote, 217 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 1: the questions that have been asked several times to the 218 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:22,520 Speaker 1: A d L and to the Jewish government and communities, 219 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:26,559 Speaker 1: we have Jewish world bankers who are dictating our government 220 00:13:26,559 --> 00:13:33,080 Speaker 1: policies and controlling our politicians unquote. So yeah. Considering King's 221 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:37,679 Speaker 1: history of saying blatantly fascist things, some organizers and Convoy 222 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:41,280 Speaker 1: supporters tried to distance King from the Freedom Convoy movement 223 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: to not damage the initial fundraising effort. The controversy around 224 00:13:46,679 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 1: King resulted in a statement being released onto the fundraising 225 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:52,520 Speaker 1: page saying King is not and has never been affiliate 226 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:54,400 Speaker 1: with our movement, nor has he been a part of 227 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:59,240 Speaker 1: our great team of volunteers. The update was afterwards deleted, 228 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 1: and then King claimed in a video that the statement 229 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:04,960 Speaker 1: was a public relations move because he was being attacked online. 230 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:08,400 Speaker 1: For a while, King was still listed as the Northern 231 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:13,200 Speaker 1: Alberta contact for the western portion of the convoy. So 232 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:16,199 Speaker 1: those are the four people that laid the organizing groundwork 233 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:19,480 Speaker 1: that spawned this entire thing and put it into motion. 234 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:22,360 Speaker 1: But what made this convoy different from United We rule 235 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:25,720 Speaker 1: One point, oh is the almost two years of COVID isolation, 236 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:28,200 Speaker 1: which has given ample time for groups like the Yellow 237 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 1: Vests and extreme far right groups to completely fold into 238 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:35,760 Speaker 1: the rapidly growing anti vax and COVID conspiracy movement in Canada, 239 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 1: and along with that, using people's seething hatred of Justin 240 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,640 Speaker 1: Trudeau to radicalize thousands of thousands of people online to 241 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:46,400 Speaker 1: getting them more comfortable with the idea of participating in 242 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 1: political protest. It's really important to mention that the protests 243 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: are not organized by Canadian trucking unions or really Canadian truckers. 244 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:57,920 Speaker 1: The largest trucking unions have come out against the protests 245 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:00,240 Speaker 1: and they do not appear to reflect the v use 246 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:03,800 Speaker 1: of most Canadians or most Canadian truckers. More than of 247 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 1: the Canadian public is vaccinated, including a truckers, according to 248 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:12,120 Speaker 1: Canada's Minister of Transport. The Canadian Trucking Alliance issued a 249 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:15,200 Speaker 1: statement saying it does not support and strongly disapproves of 250 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:19,400 Speaker 1: any protests on public roads, highways or bridges. The Canadian 251 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:21,720 Speaker 1: Trucking Alliance president set in the joint statement with the 252 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:24,920 Speaker 1: Ministers of Labor and Transport that the Government of Canada 253 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:28,160 Speaker 1: and the Canadian Trucking Alliance both agree that vaccination, used 254 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:31,960 Speaker 1: in combination with preventative health measures, is the most effective 255 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,520 Speaker 1: tool to reduce the risk of COVID nineteen for Canadians 256 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: and to protect public health. According to the Canadian Trucking Alliance, 257 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:42,520 Speaker 1: the mandate could impact around twelve to sixteen thousand Canadian 258 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:46,720 Speaker 1: commercial drivers, which is just about ten to fifteen percent 259 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:51,280 Speaker 1: of the industry's cross border drivers. During the pandemic. Repeated 260 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:54,120 Speaker 1: polls have shown that a majority of Canadians support public 261 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 1: health measures to contain the pandemic, but the number of 262 00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 1: Canadians who would like to see restrictions in has risen 263 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 1: in recent weeks. With owner crown cases on the decline. 264 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:08,080 Speaker 1: Some provinces are starting to remove restrictions and requirements. The 265 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: public sentiment appears to be moving in the direction of 266 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 1: opening up communities. Throughout the last two weeks of January, 267 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:17,240 Speaker 1: the number of Canadians saying that they would like to 268 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:21,320 Speaker 1: see restrictions and has risen by fifteen percentage points to 269 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:26,000 Speaker 1: a majority of demonstrations have found a way to tap 270 00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:30,200 Speaker 1: into pandemic fatigue among conservatives across the country after months 271 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:32,960 Speaker 1: of lockdown. More than two thirds of Canadians have said 272 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,200 Speaker 1: they have very little in common with how the Autawa 273 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:38,680 Speaker 1: protesters see things, but say that they have a lot 274 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:41,120 Speaker 1: in common, according to a recent survey connected by a 275 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:54,440 Speaker 1: Canadian research firm. Though the idea of vaccine mandates for 276 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:58,040 Speaker 1: Canadian truckers kind of prompted what turned into this convoy, 277 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:02,120 Speaker 1: very quickly became a general battle cry against pandemic restrictions 278 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:05,640 Speaker 1: as a whole, and the leadership of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 279 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:10,400 Speaker 1: Unlike United we Roll, the Freedom Convoy against health mandates 280 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:13,719 Speaker 1: was able to successfully capitalize on Western feelings of neglect 281 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: and isolation from the ruling liberal elite in the East 282 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,040 Speaker 1: and in the capital of Ottawa. The right ingredients at 283 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 1: the right time flung the Trucker Freedom Convoy into the 284 00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:26,600 Speaker 1: conservative zeitgeist. The original and go fund me page, set 285 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:30,840 Speaker 1: up on January fourteenth to financially support convoy participants, was 286 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:34,360 Speaker 1: able to raise ten million dollars in just under three weeks. 287 00:17:35,119 --> 00:17:38,280 Speaker 1: As the truck convoy idea picked up steam, the first 288 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:41,520 Speaker 1: expected wave of attendees were planned to arrive in Ottawa 289 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:46,040 Speaker 1: on Saturday, January twenty ninth. Vehicles started rolling in a 290 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:49,200 Speaker 1: few days prior, throughout Thursday and the Friday night before 291 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:52,040 Speaker 1: the big day on the twenty nine, and as Saturday, 292 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:54,640 Speaker 1: the twenty nine came, the numbers of trucks and protest 293 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:58,240 Speaker 1: participants greatly exceeded the initial expected numbers that I and 294 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:01,600 Speaker 1: many other people had figured well, obviously falling short of 295 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 1: the heavily marked fifty thod truckers prediction made by some 296 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:09,480 Speaker 1: convoy supporters. While writing these episodes, I talked with Paul, 297 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:12,159 Speaker 1: a citizen of Ottawa who has been living inside the 298 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:15,720 Speaker 1: occupied zone since the twenty ninth of January. This is 299 00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:18,240 Speaker 1: what he had to say about expectations leading up to 300 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:21,800 Speaker 1: the convoy's arrival. There was at least a week of 301 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:24,359 Speaker 1: lead up where we it was about all we heard about. 302 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:27,119 Speaker 1: So from when they sort of declared their intention to 303 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:29,440 Speaker 1: come down to when they started rallying and b C. 304 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:34,200 Speaker 1: And you know, in the west and coming across Um, 305 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:36,600 Speaker 1: there was an anticipation that something was going to happen. 306 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:40,200 Speaker 1: And you know, people around here because like where I'm 307 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:43,960 Speaker 1: sitting right now is less than a kilometer from Parliament 308 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:47,159 Speaker 1: Hill and directly in between two of the streets that 309 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:49,240 Speaker 1: they've blocked off sort of on the way into town. 310 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:52,800 Speaker 1: You know, we we were nervous, but we kind of 311 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 1: were just sort of assuming it was going to be 312 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:56,679 Speaker 1: a one day affair. It was gonna be small at first, 313 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:01,439 Speaker 1: but then you heard I mean, nobody believed the fifty 314 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:05,639 Speaker 1: trucks and that like that was it. I mean, to 315 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:07,800 Speaker 1: put in perspective, the numbers that they were claiming were 316 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 1: on their way here Um are larger than the entire 317 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:14,200 Speaker 1: population of the city by like a couple hundred thousand people, 318 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:18,680 Speaker 1: so that that didn't seem likely. But you know, when 319 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:22,080 Speaker 1: we were hearing the thousand, when we heard about multiple 320 00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 1: convoys with you know, a hundred to two d trucks 321 00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:26,760 Speaker 1: like that was when it was like, Okay, this isn't 322 00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:35,160 Speaker 1: gonna be great. So people started arriving on what Friday, Saturday. 323 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:38,880 Speaker 1: The first group started rolling to town on Thursday night. UM. 324 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:40,719 Speaker 1: They were they were small in numbers. They didn't really 325 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:43,240 Speaker 1: start blocking anything off because they're just weren't enough of them. So, 326 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:46,920 Speaker 1: but you could hear the horns starting on Thursday night, UM. 327 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:48,680 Speaker 1: And I think a lot of some of them were 328 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:52,680 Speaker 1: going into hotels. UM. They were smaller groups too, mostly 329 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:58,800 Speaker 1: from sort of local groups. UM. And then around ten 330 00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:01,440 Speaker 1: or eleven in the morning on frid Day, UM, we 331 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:03,960 Speaker 1: started hearing reports at Kingston, which is about an hour 332 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:06,880 Speaker 1: issue away, an hour and a half UM that there 333 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:09,239 Speaker 1: was a group moving out of there. So around one 334 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:11,639 Speaker 1: o'clock in the afternoon Friday, the first group started to 335 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:15,439 Speaker 1: arrive and started to congregate downtown. And one of the 336 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:18,399 Speaker 1: things about Ottawa is, UM, it's a lot, like a 337 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:20,520 Speaker 1: lot of big downtowns, it's a lot of one way streets. 338 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:23,320 Speaker 1: So the moment you get the trucks starting to get 339 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: into intersections or near intersections, you're blocking off all passage 340 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:30,560 Speaker 1: in certain directions, so they started blocking off the northbound 341 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:32,960 Speaker 1: really quickly, just because that's where how they were coming in. 342 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:36,640 Speaker 1: Um And there's only like three gas stations downtown as well, 343 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 1: which is it kind of plays a big factor in 344 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:41,240 Speaker 1: the route that they took. So they all passed by, 345 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:44,439 Speaker 1: especially the passenger cars that were running mow Um passed 346 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:46,800 Speaker 1: by and through that way. And yeah, by about two 347 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:51,679 Speaker 1: or three o'clock in the afternoon, everything south of Somerset, 348 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:54,399 Speaker 1: which is about a kilometer and a half from Parliament, 349 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 1: was pretty much jammed at that point. As Saturday nights came, 350 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:02,000 Speaker 1: much of the group supporters and truckers alike spent that 351 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:05,119 Speaker 1: time partying late into the night as heavily backed up 352 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 1: traffic continued to effectively shut down roads and large areas 353 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:12,760 Speaker 1: of the city around Parliament. Throughout the weekend, businesses in 354 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:15,040 Speaker 1: the surrounding areas that did not close ahead of the 355 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:19,080 Speaker 1: protests were swarmed by customers, many refusing to wear masks. 356 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:22,280 Speaker 1: A local Homa shelter and soup kitchen was harassed by 357 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:25,720 Speaker 1: convoy participants who were turned away from restaurants after refusing 358 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 1: to wear a mask. A large number of the convoy 359 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,240 Speaker 1: attendees surrounded the shelter, demanding to be fed by the 360 00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:35,760 Speaker 1: facility staff. According to the shelters president, convoy participants assaulted 361 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:38,280 Speaker 1: a client of the shelter and her old racial slurs 362 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:41,600 Speaker 1: at a security guard who attempted to intervene. Workers and 363 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:44,639 Speaker 1: volunteers at the shelter noted that parked vehicles blocked the shelter, 364 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:48,000 Speaker 1: making it difficult for amliences to reach the facility and 365 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 1: for staff to assist community members in need. A home 366 00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:54,119 Speaker 1: in the downtown area was pelted with rocks and snow, 367 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:57,240 Speaker 1: as well as vandalized with human feces, all for showing 368 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,440 Speaker 1: a Pride flag in their window. The operations manner for 369 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:03,640 Speaker 1: the Ottawa Paramedic Service said that an ambiliance was pelted 370 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:06,440 Speaker 1: with rocks, and paramedics checking the damage were called racial 371 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:11,120 Speaker 1: slurs by convoy participants. Ottawa Paramedics have since requested police escorts, 372 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:15,480 Speaker 1: citing safety concerns. More public backlash was prompted after reports 373 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:18,640 Speaker 1: surface of a monument dedicated to commemorating Terry Fox being 374 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:21,240 Speaker 1: covered in protest signs and being staged to hold an 375 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:25,719 Speaker 1: upside down Canadian flag. No restroomain Saturday night related to 376 00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 1: the convoy but as the convoy stuck around even past 377 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:32,520 Speaker 1: the weekend, there was this growing feeling of downtown residents 378 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,200 Speaker 1: that they've been abandoned by the city and law enforcement, 379 00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:38,480 Speaker 1: with the whole situation and response to the situation making 380 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:41,679 Speaker 1: them afraid to leave their homes. I asked Paul what 381 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:44,560 Speaker 1: his experience on the first weekend of the occupation was 382 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:48,280 Speaker 1: and the general feeling in the area of downtown Ottawa. 383 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:50,840 Speaker 1: And you're living like right in the middle of this. 384 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:53,239 Speaker 1: How much has this affected like your day to day 385 00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:55,520 Speaker 1: life and all your neighbors and stuff, like what what 386 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:57,800 Speaker 1: what are you able to do and not do at 387 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:02,520 Speaker 1: this point, Well, it's the weekend was it was especially bad, 388 00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:04,320 Speaker 1: and we're all kind of bracing for what this weekend 389 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:06,119 Speaker 1: is going to be because that's when you had just 390 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:10,440 Speaker 1: you know, there were between somewhere between ten and fifteen 391 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:13,400 Speaker 1: eighteen thousand people as the estimates I've heard, um all 392 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:17,280 Speaker 1: crowding downtown in the streets. So at that point, I mean, 393 00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,000 Speaker 1: that was when the police were telling people not to 394 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:22,560 Speaker 1: wear a mask out um because you know, you're kind 395 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:26,200 Speaker 1: of putting yourself at risk, uh, because it'll be targeted 396 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:30,120 Speaker 1: for violence. Yeah, So I mean I was like basically 397 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:32,359 Speaker 1: anytime I've left the house. So we have a mask 398 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:34,760 Speaker 1: mandate still an effect in Ottawa, So you have to 399 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:37,439 Speaker 1: wear them indoors pretty much everywhere. UM, So I have 400 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:38,800 Speaker 1: to wear at my building, I have to wear at 401 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:40,840 Speaker 1: the convenience store. If I'm gonna go go buy say, 402 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:42,960 Speaker 1: you know, pack of cigarettes, I'm not going to take 403 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:45,680 Speaker 1: it off. It's a thirty second walk. And so that 404 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:48,919 Speaker 1: was that. The harassment around that started on Friday. UM, 405 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:52,240 Speaker 1: and then it just became anyone who was out and 406 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:54,040 Speaker 1: about that didn't look like they were part of it, 407 00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:59,080 Speaker 1: UM started getting hassled. UM. Other people I know who 408 00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:01,320 Speaker 1: live in the area, as specially women, UM, have been 409 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:05,479 Speaker 1: targeted a great deal. UM. Anyone who's part of you know, 410 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:11,440 Speaker 1: the LGBTQ community has been It's it's not really just 411 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:12,960 Speaker 1: it's just not safe to be out on the streets 412 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:14,520 Speaker 1: and it's not really safe to show that you don't 413 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:17,720 Speaker 1: support what they're doing. At points since the convoy started 414 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 1: arriving in Ottawa, the extreme elements of the protest have 415 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:24,439 Speaker 1: been pretty visible. Among the thousands of attendees were recognizable 416 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:27,200 Speaker 1: members of white nationalists, hate groups, you know, not seeing 417 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:30,440 Speaker 1: Confederate flags were seen flying too and on. Logos were 418 00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:33,399 Speaker 1: emblazoned on trucks and sides, and stickers were paced up 419 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 1: on telephone polls around the occupied area, baring Trudeau's face 420 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:40,880 Speaker 1: reading wanted for crimes against humanity, the official line from 421 00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:45,720 Speaker 1: original convoy organizers minus Pat King, of course, however, has 422 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:49,120 Speaker 1: tried to remain focused. In a Facebook live broadcast, James 423 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:52,680 Speaker 1: Bodder of Canada Unity instructed his supporters to stop talking 424 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:56,040 Speaker 1: with the vaccine and instead stick the messages of freedom. 425 00:24:56,119 --> 00:24:58,760 Speaker 1: The goal of adopting a more restricted and relatable protest 426 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:03,120 Speaker 1: cause is to hopefully drop up more widespread support and validity, 427 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:06,240 Speaker 1: and it initially worked in some ways and not in others. 428 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:09,639 Speaker 1: Numerous members of the Conservative Party have come out to 429 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:13,199 Speaker 1: meet protesters, especially throughout the first few days now. Former 430 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:17,040 Speaker 1: Conservative Party leader Erin O'Toole met with Convoy participants, albeit 431 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:20,600 Speaker 1: away from the main protest site. Both People's Party of 432 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:24,480 Speaker 1: Canada leader Maxie and Bernair and Ontario Member of provincial 433 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:27,840 Speaker 1: Parliament and leader of the de facto Ontario arm of 434 00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:31,040 Speaker 1: the PPC, Randy Healer, who has made many recent and 435 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:34,680 Speaker 1: semitic comments, both gave speeches on Saturday the twenty nine 436 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:37,560 Speaker 1: in front of the Parliament building. People like Elon Musk 437 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:40,639 Speaker 1: and Donald Trump have both endorsed the convoy, and Fox 438 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:44,160 Speaker 1: News has been endlessly broadcasting glowing updates of the convoy 439 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:48,600 Speaker 1: since its arrival in Ottawa. According to the convoy participants 440 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:51,679 Speaker 1: and organizers, they are vowing to camp out in front 441 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:54,480 Speaker 1: of the Parliament until their demands of dropping all COVID 442 00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:58,480 Speaker 1: nineteen health measures are met. Wild stated grievances can be 443 00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:01,720 Speaker 1: broader and more vast on the ound. The current Memorandum 444 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:05,160 Speaker 1: of Understanding, posted on the Canada Unity website, which collected 445 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:09,080 Speaker 1: over thirty signatures, served as a sort of bargaining pitch 446 00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:14,520 Speaker 1: between the convoy and the Canadian government. The Memorandum of Understanding, 447 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:18,399 Speaker 1: or the m OU, calls on Canada's appointing senators and 448 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:22,479 Speaker 1: Canada's Governor General, the representative of Queen Elizabeth the second 449 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:26,639 Speaker 1: in Canada's constitutional monarchy, to abolish all COVID nineteen related 450 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:30,399 Speaker 1: restrictions and to allow all unvaccinated workers whose employment was 451 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:33,720 Speaker 1: terminated because of vaccine mandates to get their jobs back. 452 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:36,920 Speaker 1: James Potter, the guy who runs the Canada Unity insisted 453 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:39,119 Speaker 1: to his followers that the m o U would force 454 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 1: the government's hand and possibly even trigger fresh elections if 455 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:47,720 Speaker 1: enough people signed. Another Canada Unity organizer went further, saying 456 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 1: it would require the Senate to go after the Prime 457 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:53,800 Speaker 1: Minister for corruption and fascism, which, of course there's no 458 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,080 Speaker 1: legal basis for any of these claims around the m 459 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:58,359 Speaker 1: O you, but you know that doesn't really matter in 460 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:01,119 Speaker 1: the end, because we'll still believe it. So it's going 461 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:03,560 Speaker 1: to have an impact on what they do. The more 462 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:07,200 Speaker 1: controversial Pat King laid out an alternative, however, a more 463 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:11,080 Speaker 1: direct plan of action to the occupiers. In a January 464 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:14,320 Speaker 1: Facebook livestream, King said that what we want to focus 465 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:18,760 Speaker 1: on is our politicians, their houses, their locations. If political 466 00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:22,080 Speaker 1: pressure doesn't work, blocking major supply chains will be later on, 467 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:26,640 Speaker 1: so more more on that idea later. After the first 468 00:27:26,720 --> 00:27:30,119 Speaker 1: weekend of protests kind of turned occupations, go fund Me 469 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:33,120 Speaker 1: released a reported one million dollars of the total ten 470 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,199 Speaker 1: million raised for the convoy. As the end of the 471 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:39,879 Speaker 1: weekend approached, many convoy participants who rolled into the nation's 472 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:42,879 Speaker 1: capital began heading home, and the highways on Sunday night 473 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:46,119 Speaker 1: saw no shortage of vehicles heading away from Ottawa with 474 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:50,640 Speaker 1: their approachest signs and flags still in tow, but plenty 475 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:53,960 Speaker 1: of people stuck around to continue the fight. Thousands and 476 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:56,960 Speaker 1: thousands of people and hundreds of vehicles, including a fleet 477 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:00,040 Speaker 1: of semitrucks, commercial vehicles, r V campers, and regular of 478 00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:03,000 Speaker 1: cars were more than enough to keep the roads in 479 00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:06,480 Speaker 1: a large portion of Ottawa around Parliament effectively shut down. 480 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:10,320 Speaker 1: I can't help but draw comparisons to the fearmongering narrative 481 00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:14,359 Speaker 1: of bus fuls of Antifa, you know, protesters coming from 482 00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:17,800 Speaker 1: out of town into places they don't live, terrorizing locals, 483 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:20,800 Speaker 1: shutting down cities. You know. The other comparison is to 484 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:23,200 Speaker 1: like the chop where the chas in Seattle was taking 485 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:25,240 Speaker 1: over a large portion of the city and how that 486 00:28:25,359 --> 00:28:29,480 Speaker 1: was so vilified. Except you know, this is so much 487 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:33,320 Speaker 1: bigger and impactful than anything so called Antifa or the 488 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 1: Black Lives Matter protests have ever done, especially in Canada, 489 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:40,600 Speaker 1: in terms of actually impacting the functionality of a city 490 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:45,480 Speaker 1: and restricting the local, national, and international capitalist trade. The 491 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:49,600 Speaker 1: Freedom Convoy has done everything and more its proponents warned 492 00:28:49,640 --> 00:29:02,040 Speaker 1: that Antifa was going to do to Canada. Obviously, part 493 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:04,720 Speaker 1: of the reason the Convoy protest was able to get 494 00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:08,040 Speaker 1: to this point is not just because of its large size, 495 00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:11,640 Speaker 1: but also the initial hands off approach by police that 496 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 1: allowed the convoy participants the opportunity to get a strong 497 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:19,280 Speaker 1: foothold within the city. The difference in initial law enforcement 498 00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 1: reaction to the protest Convoy made up of largely you know, conservative, 499 00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:26,640 Speaker 1: middle class white Canadians, compared to other protests like you know, 500 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:30,160 Speaker 1: the Black Lives Better protests or say the RCMPS typical 501 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:33,920 Speaker 1: response to First Nations protests and blockings defending their land. 502 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:38,720 Speaker 1: The comparisons cannot be over analyzed. You know, the latter 503 00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 1: two forms of protest I mentioned actually do challenge societal 504 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:45,640 Speaker 1: power structures that prop up white Canada, while as this 505 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:48,880 Speaker 1: convoy protest does not and instead plays into those very 506 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:52,720 Speaker 1: power structures. That dynamic played a major role into how 507 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:55,880 Speaker 1: the police handled or didn't handle the first few days 508 00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:58,960 Speaker 1: of the protest, in which during those early days the 509 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:02,560 Speaker 1: convoy attendees were free to build infrastructure that resulted in 510 00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:06,840 Speaker 1: the protest escalating into a full scale occupation. The Monday 511 00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:10,000 Speaker 1: after the first initial weekend, the city's mayor, Jim Watson, 512 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:12,840 Speaker 1: declared a state of emergency, but at that point Attawa 513 00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:15,760 Speaker 1: police thought it was already too late for the protest 514 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:19,600 Speaker 1: to be ended by sheer force without vastly increasing the 515 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:22,880 Speaker 1: likelihood of severe damage and life threatening outcomes to the 516 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:27,120 Speaker 1: convoy participants, police officers, and regular citizens of Ottawa. On 517 00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:31,600 Speaker 1: February twod Ottawa Police Chief Peter Slowly explicitly said that 518 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:34,280 Speaker 1: there may not be a police solution to ending the 519 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:38,920 Speaker 1: convoy and occupation. There are similar demonstrations taking place in 520 00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:42,120 Speaker 1: many other parts of this country, indeed many other parts 521 00:30:42,120 --> 00:30:46,480 Speaker 1: around this continent in the world. What happens here effects there, 522 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:51,320 Speaker 1: What happens there affects here. We have seen in the 523 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:54,920 Speaker 1: last twenty four hours attempts by other police and other 524 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 1: jurisdictions to do just what you have suggested. They were 525 00:30:58,680 --> 00:31:03,320 Speaker 1: not effective and they created additional safety issues, potential life 526 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:07,960 Speaker 1: threatening safety issues. I have great compassion for those that 527 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:11,520 Speaker 1: have been significantly affected, if not traumatized, and we know 528 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:16,240 Speaker 1: criminally victimized. We will do everything we can to hold 529 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:19,160 Speaker 1: those who have done that to account. Will continue arresting 530 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:23,480 Speaker 1: and charging people as we have been. But any action 531 00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:28,920 Speaker 1: taken without understanding the totality of the context, the totality 532 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 1: of the risk, would be irresponsible. You're trying to be responsible, lawful, 533 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:40,720 Speaker 1: ethical and measured. My last comment when I wrapped up, 534 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:44,800 Speaker 1: I'll share again now. The longer this goes on, the 535 00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:47,720 Speaker 1: more I am convinced there may not be a police 536 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:54,680 Speaker 1: solution to this demonstration. There are police chiefs commissioners across 537 00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:57,880 Speaker 1: this country that are dealing with demonstrations that are starting 538 00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:03,680 Speaker 1: underway and signal effectively advanced. This is a national issue, 539 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:07,280 Speaker 1: not an Autawa issue. From the start. Prime Minister Justin 540 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:09,960 Speaker 1: Trudeau has been playing down the notion of a military 541 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:13,520 Speaker 1: response to the ongoing Ottawa protest. During the first week, 542 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:15,800 Speaker 1: he said that sending in troops is not in the 543 00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:19,360 Speaker 1: cards right now. On February two, the Automa police chiefs 544 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:22,080 Speaker 1: said that all options are on the table, including eventually 545 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:24,840 Speaker 1: calling in the military, but one must be very very 546 00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:28,000 Speaker 1: cautious about deploying troops in Canadian soil in such cases. 547 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:31,080 Speaker 1: Trudeau said that a news conference under the February that 548 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:34,920 Speaker 1: it's not something that anyone should enter into lightly with 549 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:38,160 Speaker 1: police basically leaving the Ottawa residents who live near and 550 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:41,760 Speaker 1: within the convoy occupation to fend for themselves. I was 551 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:44,479 Speaker 1: curious what sorts of things the local community might be 552 00:32:44,520 --> 00:32:47,960 Speaker 1: doing to live around this massive, conspiracy filled group of 553 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:51,680 Speaker 1: reactionary out of town campers. What sort of things have 554 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:54,960 Speaker 1: the has the community been doing to kind of help 555 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,720 Speaker 1: survive this this Like has there been like mutual aid 556 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:01,160 Speaker 1: projects in the neighborhood to help support other neighbors, you 557 00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:04,040 Speaker 1: know that that sort of thing there have Um, it's 558 00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:05,880 Speaker 1: actually been kind of wonderful the way the community has 559 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:08,520 Speaker 1: been coming together, especially after two years of pandemic where 560 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:11,360 Speaker 1: we've all been kind of like Ottawa and Ontario have 561 00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:15,760 Speaker 1: been one of the more restricted jurisdictions in North America. UM. 562 00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:18,360 Speaker 1: I mean, and I say this as a restaurant manager, like, 563 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:20,840 Speaker 1: in my opinion, rightly, so, like it's about keeping people safe, 564 00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:22,840 Speaker 1: and we've done a fairly good job of that by 565 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:26,280 Speaker 1: and large. But the thing is that, you know, our 566 00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:28,520 Speaker 1: community hasn't felt a lot like a community in a while. 567 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:31,560 Speaker 1: And this week, I mean, one of the few positives 568 00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:35,680 Speaker 1: has been UM both individuals and organizations, So I mean, 569 00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:38,120 Speaker 1: Rose and some of the other organizations that we mentioned 570 00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:40,080 Speaker 1: on Friday have done a great job. There's also been 571 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:43,600 Speaker 1: some really really great organic organizing coming out of UM. 572 00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:45,880 Speaker 1: Some activists as well as just people in the community. 573 00:33:45,920 --> 00:33:49,640 Speaker 1: So there's a a few discord servers set up right now. 574 00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:51,720 Speaker 1: So there's been a huge issue with people, people with 575 00:33:51,800 --> 00:33:56,360 Speaker 1: disabilities and the elderly getting groceries because deliveries aren't possible downtown. UM. 576 00:33:56,560 --> 00:33:59,560 Speaker 1: So it started on Twitter. UM, but there's been an 577 00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:02,360 Speaker 1: organized station set up to help people get those groceries. 578 00:34:02,360 --> 00:34:05,520 Speaker 1: Whether it's a cost issue or just a physical delivery issue, 579 00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:08,839 Speaker 1: We're ensured. People are ensuring that that's happening. UM. As 580 00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:12,680 Speaker 1: of today. UM, there's gonna be a safe Walks program. UM. 581 00:34:12,719 --> 00:34:14,839 Speaker 1: There's well, there's two. There's one on discord where it's 582 00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:16,520 Speaker 1: people offering to you know, make sure that you can 583 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:20,920 Speaker 1: get through the space safe today. Though, UM, in a 584 00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:23,359 Speaker 1: positive and more passive sense, we kind of started taking 585 00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:27,000 Speaker 1: the streets back. So UM, we had about four or 586 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:29,600 Speaker 1: five groups of people ranging from ten to fifty just 587 00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:32,839 Speaker 1: just walking the streets and not not confronting anybody, not 588 00:34:32,920 --> 00:34:35,920 Speaker 1: getting getting into any direct engagement, just going out to 589 00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:38,200 Speaker 1: show that we can still walk on our streets and 590 00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:41,880 Speaker 1: letting our you know, our our neighbors know that we 591 00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:44,920 Speaker 1: can actually be together and you know, stand up just 592 00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:47,759 Speaker 1: to be together, which is something that I think a 593 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:50,000 Speaker 1: lot of people have lost over the last week. I mean, 594 00:34:50,080 --> 00:34:52,680 Speaker 1: like the fact that that's even a big step is 595 00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:57,719 Speaker 1: showing how tired the situation is. The fact that just 596 00:34:58,080 --> 00:35:00,640 Speaker 1: getting to that point we're walking around in a group 597 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:04,360 Speaker 1: where you feel safe is like a big thing. That, Yeah, 598 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:08,400 Speaker 1: that's like a really interesting and horrible indicator of what 599 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:11,240 Speaker 1: the mood has been like there for people like living 600 00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:14,440 Speaker 1: in this area. That is. Yeah, that is a big 601 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:16,040 Speaker 1: part of it. And it's something that was actually talked 602 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:18,360 Speaker 1: about a lot today, which was how refreshing it was 603 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:20,120 Speaker 1: to be able to do it, but also that it 604 00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:23,400 Speaker 1: shouldn't feel radical to take a safe walk in your community, 605 00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:27,600 Speaker 1: but it somehow did um and it speaks a lot 606 00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:31,319 Speaker 1: to the feelings the lack of safety or the loss 607 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:34,640 Speaker 1: of you know, safety in this community and has been 608 00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:38,480 Speaker 1: pretty immense. I should mention that another community led effort 609 00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:42,360 Speaker 1: to deal with the occupation is the ram Ranch Resistance, 610 00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:45,719 Speaker 1: a loosely organized counter movement to the Chuck Our Convoy 611 00:35:45,760 --> 00:35:49,320 Speaker 1: that started with people joining the convoys online communications channels 612 00:35:49,560 --> 00:35:53,920 Speaker 1: and blasting the homo erotic country song ram Ranch. The 613 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:57,160 Speaker 1: song is by a Canadian artist and features some flawless 614 00:35:57,239 --> 00:36:01,120 Speaker 1: lyrics like eight teen naked cowboys wanting to be fucked. 615 00:36:01,280 --> 00:36:04,520 Speaker 1: Cowboys in the showers at ram Ranch on their knees 616 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:09,360 Speaker 1: wanting to suck cowboy cox. Ram Ranch really rocks. The 617 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:14,480 Speaker 1: result is not only making the convoy folks uncomfortable because gay, 618 00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:18,239 Speaker 1: but also it is hijacking and making their online communications 619 00:36:18,320 --> 00:36:21,680 Speaker 1: channels kind of useless for any non cowboy cock sucking 620 00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:27,160 Speaker 1: political organizing efforts. Disruptive resistance to the convoys online communications 621 00:36:27,239 --> 00:36:29,680 Speaker 1: is not just limited to the ram Ranch song, however, 622 00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:33,080 Speaker 1: Other vulgar songs have also been introduced into the chats 623 00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:35,799 Speaker 1: as well. I'm gonna just kind of give you a 624 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:40,080 Speaker 1: brief look at what it's like inside these chats, right yeah, 625 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:42,560 Speaker 1: I'm gonna. I'm gonna. I'm gonna role play it. The 626 00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:45,320 Speaker 1: ram Ranch guys are finally gone. It's about freaking time. 627 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:47,480 Speaker 1: I've had to shut that stuff off. One person has 628 00:36:47,600 --> 00:36:50,520 Speaker 1: heard saying and a clip from a chat, immediately followed 629 00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:53,760 Speaker 1: by a robotic voice saying, welcome to the come zone. 630 00:36:53,880 --> 00:36:57,560 Speaker 1: Only come inside anime girls, quivering clip, double jointed pussy 631 00:36:57,680 --> 00:37:00,960 Speaker 1: fresh balls. Since then, the movement is taken on as 632 00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:02,759 Speaker 1: something of a life of its own. The ram Ranch 633 00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:05,640 Speaker 1: Resistance hashtag has been used as a way for people 634 00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:09,680 Speaker 1: to share information regarding the convoy, and Welcome to the 635 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:12,280 Speaker 1: ram Ranch signs have been popping up at convoy counter 636 00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:16,480 Speaker 1: protests around the country. Another ram rancher created the website 637 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:19,759 Speaker 1: ram Ranch dot c a linking to downtown organizations that 638 00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 1: have been impacted by the trucker convoy, as well as 639 00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:27,319 Speaker 1: charities aiding indigenous people's As the convoy settled in, it 640 00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:29,960 Speaker 1: appeared at the demonstrators and the government had reached a 641 00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:33,440 Speaker 1: sort of stalemate. Currently, there are more than four hundred 642 00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:36,840 Speaker 1: trucks parked downtown and Ottawa Police say that they can't 643 00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:40,239 Speaker 1: move them because the too operators with city contracts are 644 00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:44,040 Speaker 1: refusing to help, making matters only more difficult. Police say 645 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:46,760 Speaker 1: that families with children are sleeping in approximately a quarter 646 00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:50,080 Speaker 1: of those trucks. To get an idea of what some 647 00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:54,239 Speaker 1: Autawa residents who live within the occupied zone see in 648 00:37:54,360 --> 00:37:57,400 Speaker 1: terms of a potential end in sight, I posed Paul 649 00:37:57,600 --> 00:38:01,160 Speaker 1: this question, how do you even see this situation resolving 650 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:03,200 Speaker 1: at this point? Like, do do you think they're like 651 00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:05,320 Speaker 1: the truckers and the people who are in the city 652 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:08,439 Speaker 1: are gonna are gonna back down and leave eventually? Or 653 00:38:08,719 --> 00:38:10,879 Speaker 1: like or do you think they have to be forced out? 654 00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:12,840 Speaker 1: Like what do you see kind of an end to 655 00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:17,480 Speaker 1: this at this point? Well, it's at this point. Probably 656 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:20,600 Speaker 1: one of the hardest things to admit is that I don't, um, 657 00:38:20,719 --> 00:38:23,000 Speaker 1: the hardest core that are here committed and they have 658 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:26,520 Speaker 1: a significant amount of funding behind them. And the thing 659 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:31,160 Speaker 1: is that you know, with an occupation protests, they if 660 00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:33,200 Speaker 1: you don't nip it in the bud, it's snowballs and 661 00:38:33,239 --> 00:38:36,719 Speaker 1: gathers momentum for a while. Um, and I mean eventually 662 00:38:36,719 --> 00:38:38,640 Speaker 1: they either peter out or they have to be removed. 663 00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:42,440 Speaker 1: And this one is still snowballing. Um. We've seen some 664 00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:45,840 Speaker 1: more extreme elements come into the city this week. Um, 665 00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:52,160 Speaker 1: yesterday Romana did dulo the human on Queen of Canada 666 00:38:52,239 --> 00:38:55,600 Speaker 1: arrived in birth Brent the Canadian flag on Parliament Hill, 667 00:38:55,640 --> 00:38:57,839 Speaker 1: which whatever you think about the Canadian flag, and it's 668 00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:01,319 Speaker 1: simple as a simpler propression. Um, you know, that's not 669 00:39:01,400 --> 00:39:03,880 Speaker 1: a great look for them. But the other side of 670 00:39:03,880 --> 00:39:05,400 Speaker 1: it is is that this is a woman with seventy 671 00:39:05,719 --> 00:39:08,880 Speaker 1: followers who you know has called for the mass execution 672 00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:13,000 Speaker 1: of her enemies and you know is currently parked in 673 00:39:13,080 --> 00:39:15,719 Speaker 1: or Winnebago two and a half blocks from my house 674 00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:19,480 Speaker 1: right now, um so, and with a bunch of her 675 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:24,200 Speaker 1: followers down with her, And so they're committed. They know 676 00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:29,120 Speaker 1: they don't know that I did occupy a lot of 677 00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:32,200 Speaker 1: years ago. And the question that people asked us, and 678 00:39:32,280 --> 00:39:34,960 Speaker 1: sometimes it was the police, was what gets you out 679 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:37,880 Speaker 1: of the park. And in a weird way, there's a 680 00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:41,000 Speaker 1: parallel here, which is that the hardest answer with occupy 681 00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:43,800 Speaker 1: was always kind of like everything is kind of fucked, 682 00:39:43,920 --> 00:39:47,000 Speaker 1: So how do we fix everything? That's the discussion we 683 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:49,879 Speaker 1: should be having. So in this case, to these people, 684 00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:54,919 Speaker 1: in their worldview, everything is kind of fucked, and there's 685 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:56,799 Speaker 1: no answer that you can give those kind of people 686 00:39:56,800 --> 00:40:00,720 Speaker 1: in negotiations. The police right now are are not looking 687 00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:03,120 Speaker 1: at removal as a serious option, I don't think, or 688 00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:05,960 Speaker 1: if they are, they haven't figured out how to get 689 00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:08,399 Speaker 1: to that place yet. And one of the weird things 690 00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:13,400 Speaker 1: about Ottawa is is that technically in various spaces, because 691 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:17,120 Speaker 1: the way it's designated, there's a whole mishmash of jurisdictions 692 00:40:17,120 --> 00:40:21,080 Speaker 1: between the various police agencies. So like again with Occupy, 693 00:40:21,280 --> 00:40:23,080 Speaker 1: that we picked the park, like the park that was 694 00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:27,120 Speaker 1: occupied was partially picked because it was on like this 695 00:40:27,239 --> 00:40:30,239 Speaker 1: weird jurisdictional black hole where it was hard to figure 696 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:32,359 Speaker 1: out who the cops were at, who should police it were, 697 00:40:33,239 --> 00:40:35,640 Speaker 1: um so, and they've ended up in the same park 698 00:40:35,680 --> 00:40:40,440 Speaker 1: where they now have like fifty five cylinders appropane, sitting 699 00:40:40,440 --> 00:40:44,120 Speaker 1: about five yards from the Department of National Defense. So it's, uh, 700 00:40:45,440 --> 00:40:47,480 Speaker 1: it's tricky to figure out how you how you get 701 00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:48,839 Speaker 1: get out of that because all it's going to take 702 00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:50,239 Speaker 1: is one of them with something in their cab and 703 00:40:50,239 --> 00:40:54,520 Speaker 1: it's done. Yep ye. Well, do you have any hope 704 00:40:54,520 --> 00:40:57,120 Speaker 1: for anything? Do you have any indicators for how it 705 00:40:57,280 --> 00:41:02,040 Speaker 1: can turn out? Well, I mean in terms of the occupation. 706 00:41:02,080 --> 00:41:05,080 Speaker 1: I mean, we'll see how it goes. Um maybe there 707 00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:08,560 Speaker 1: can become some kind of modus vivendi between them and 708 00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:10,400 Speaker 1: the rest of the city. I don't know how that happens, 709 00:41:10,440 --> 00:41:13,120 Speaker 1: but maybe there can be, but I don't know. It's 710 00:41:14,239 --> 00:41:17,200 Speaker 1: the only silver lining I see right now is you know, 711 00:41:17,760 --> 00:41:19,960 Speaker 1: the walk that I was on earlier today and the 712 00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:21,520 Speaker 1: chat that I was having with other people in the 713 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:26,239 Speaker 1: community and the discord server and everywhere else, like this 714 00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:28,719 Speaker 1: is a really strong community that cares a great deal 715 00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:30,680 Speaker 1: about itself and sometimes needed to be needs to be 716 00:41:30,719 --> 00:41:33,200 Speaker 1: reminded of that, and uh, I think this is an 717 00:41:33,239 --> 00:41:36,520 Speaker 1: opportunity for that to happen. Then I think that that's 718 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:38,080 Speaker 1: the positive that can come out, is that we will 719 00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:40,120 Speaker 1: take care of ourselves and we'll take care of each other. 720 00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:42,960 Speaker 1: And that's you know what, what more can you ask 721 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:45,719 Speaker 1: where I guess out of this? Reports of assaults perpetrated 722 00:41:45,760 --> 00:41:49,040 Speaker 1: by members of the Convoy protest have been steadily ruling 723 00:41:49,080 --> 00:41:51,960 Speaker 1: in the past few weeks, not to mention the seemingly 724 00:41:52,080 --> 00:41:55,080 Speaker 1: constant presence of honking in the downtown area that's been 725 00:41:55,120 --> 00:41:58,640 Speaker 1: affecting residents every day and even into the night. I 726 00:41:58,640 --> 00:42:01,640 Speaker 1: will offer you this short sample to help complete the 727 00:42:01,680 --> 00:42:04,520 Speaker 1: picture of what it's like both indoors and outdoors in 728 00:42:04,600 --> 00:42:23,480 Speaker 1: downtown Ottawa. So apologies about that. Yeah, that was pretty 729 00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:26,200 Speaker 1: bad and as annoying and frustrating as it may be. 730 00:42:26,840 --> 00:42:28,879 Speaker 1: Before I close out part one, I'm going to play 731 00:42:28,920 --> 00:42:30,799 Speaker 1: some audio from one of the truckers or you know, 732 00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:35,600 Speaker 1: just Convoy participants as he addresses fellow Convoy ors on 733 00:42:35,719 --> 00:42:39,440 Speaker 1: why it's good and in fact revolutionary to hunk horns 734 00:42:39,520 --> 00:42:42,560 Speaker 1: late into the night. I think it gives you some 735 00:42:42,640 --> 00:42:45,640 Speaker 1: valuable insight into how these people frame their actions in 736 00:42:45,680 --> 00:42:47,960 Speaker 1: their own heads. And you know it will give you 737 00:42:47,960 --> 00:42:51,240 Speaker 1: an opportunity to hear some of these convoy people directly. 738 00:42:51,440 --> 00:42:55,440 Speaker 1: So here we go. Let's starting on. There was quiet 739 00:42:55,480 --> 00:42:57,480 Speaker 1: when I got here, but now they're starting to be 740 00:42:57,640 --> 00:43:00,640 Speaker 1: there're starting to make some noise. Now I get it. 741 00:43:00,719 --> 00:43:02,560 Speaker 1: I saw some comments saying that you want to go 742 00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:04,400 Speaker 1: from nine to five and you want to turn your 743 00:43:04,440 --> 00:43:06,920 Speaker 1: horns off, and you want to you know, be respectful 744 00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:09,399 Speaker 1: and play the optics war. And you've done You've done 745 00:43:09,400 --> 00:43:12,960 Speaker 1: all the map, man, I get it. I we've done everything. 746 00:43:13,120 --> 00:43:15,640 Speaker 1: Every piece of garbage has been picked up. Statistically, there 747 00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:18,120 Speaker 1: is no crime. And when I mean statistically, if you 748 00:43:18,200 --> 00:43:21,000 Speaker 1: have some drunk guy acted, you know, silly on one 749 00:43:21,080 --> 00:43:23,840 Speaker 1: street quickly gets you know, talk to and then the 750 00:43:23,880 --> 00:43:25,840 Speaker 1: Patriots taken back to his car, and maybe there was 751 00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:28,520 Speaker 1: some incident of mischief. I've heard reports of anti for 752 00:43:28,600 --> 00:43:31,120 Speaker 1: throwing rocks and trucks, tag and stuff. They're the ones 753 00:43:31,160 --> 00:43:33,319 Speaker 1: committing the crime. But other than that, this has been 754 00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:36,000 Speaker 1: the most well to have revolution on earth. And now 755 00:43:36,360 --> 00:43:38,919 Speaker 1: the big complaint is can you get them to only 756 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:43,120 Speaker 1: blow their horns between nine and five. I'm sorry, what 757 00:43:43,280 --> 00:43:46,120 Speaker 1: has compliant got you guys so far? What is just 758 00:43:46,400 --> 00:43:49,080 Speaker 1: little by little? Oh? Just do this, Yeah, just just 759 00:43:49,160 --> 00:43:51,160 Speaker 1: go peep your horns between nine and five. That's all 760 00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:54,840 Speaker 1: we're gonna ask. Then were two masks, Then just go 761 00:43:55,080 --> 00:43:57,799 Speaker 1: right back to square one. How about you put your 762 00:43:57,840 --> 00:44:00,560 Speaker 1: blame right where it belongs, right in the eye of 763 00:44:00,680 --> 00:44:05,160 Speaker 1: Sauron And that's who we handle this with and every mandate. 764 00:44:05,360 --> 00:44:07,760 Speaker 1: We're not allowed to exist in society. I'm not allowed 765 00:44:07,760 --> 00:44:08,960 Speaker 1: to go to a movie. I'm not allowed to go 766 00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:11,440 Speaker 1: to a restaurant. I'm not allowed to leave the country. 767 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:15,960 Speaker 1: You can't even leave, you can't travel on planes, you 768 00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:18,600 Speaker 1: can't do anything that Trudeau can get his fingers on 769 00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:23,000 Speaker 1: to discriminate against us in society. Meanwhile, he'll blame us 770 00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:27,120 Speaker 1: for side effects of his guinea pigs. It's an insane world. 771 00:44:27,200 --> 00:44:30,279 Speaker 1: And you've complied long enough, guys, and the madness in 772 00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:32,560 Speaker 1: the horn stop. But I am in no place to 773 00:44:32,600 --> 00:44:34,960 Speaker 1: go tell these guys, Oh excuse me? Can you turn 774 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:37,520 Speaker 1: your horn off? Can you get used to complying again? 775 00:44:38,080 --> 00:44:40,880 Speaker 1: We want freedom. We're not asking for anything unreasonable, and 776 00:44:40,960 --> 00:44:43,000 Speaker 1: we're doing it on your behalf. The least you can 777 00:44:43,040 --> 00:44:45,600 Speaker 1: do is turn off your televisions and stop letting their 778 00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:49,680 Speaker 1: horrible objections to this revolution, and they're horrible false flags 779 00:44:49,920 --> 00:44:52,760 Speaker 1: and whatever else they bring. I'm sorry about the noise complaints. 780 00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:56,040 Speaker 1: Now are you sorry about banishing me from society and 781 00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:58,800 Speaker 1: treating me like I'm some sort of lever because I 782 00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:03,200 Speaker 1: want to keep my immute is done? Sorry, guys, the 783 00:45:03,320 --> 00:45:06,920 Speaker 1: Horns stuck it up your ass. Anyone that has a 784 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:10,000 Speaker 1: problem with loud noises, we have a problem be advantished 785 00:45:10,000 --> 00:45:14,320 Speaker 1: from society. Apologies for that, But now I hope you 786 00:45:14,440 --> 00:45:17,720 Speaker 1: have a better understanding of the type of conspiratorial thinking 787 00:45:17,880 --> 00:45:21,400 Speaker 1: among the people in this convoy and the importance this 788 00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:25,600 Speaker 1: whole thing means to them. So with this, that wraps 789 00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:28,160 Speaker 1: up my part one of my deep dive into the 790 00:45:28,320 --> 00:45:32,279 Speaker 1: Canadian Freedom Convoy. In the next episode, we'll get into 791 00:45:32,560 --> 00:45:36,120 Speaker 1: the border blockades both in Alberta and the Ambassador Bridge, 792 00:45:36,160 --> 00:45:39,200 Speaker 1: which is preventing some international trade. We'll get into some 793 00:45:39,280 --> 00:45:42,280 Speaker 1: of the smaller protests and attempted occupations in other cities 794 00:45:42,280 --> 00:45:45,680 Speaker 1: across Canada, and how the situation is evolving in Ottawa 795 00:45:46,000 --> 00:45:49,160 Speaker 1: and what types of long term political ramifications this protest 796 00:45:49,239 --> 00:45:53,520 Speaker 1: and any attempt to suppress it will have so with that, 797 00:45:54,080 --> 00:45:58,319 Speaker 1: see you on the other side. It could Happen Here 798 00:45:58,400 --> 00:46:01,000 Speaker 1: is a production of cool Zone Media. For more podcasts 799 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:03,600 Speaker 1: from cool Zone Media, visit our website cool zone media 800 00:46:03,680 --> 00:46:05,480 Speaker 1: dot com, or check us out on the I Heart 801 00:46:05,560 --> 00:46:08,520 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 802 00:46:09,120 --> 00:46:11,240 Speaker 1: You can find sources for It could Happen Here, updated 803 00:46:11,320 --> 00:46:14,799 Speaker 1: monthly at cool zone media dot com slash sources. Thanks 804 00:46:14,840 --> 00:46:15,320 Speaker 1: for listening.