What Do The Freedom Convoy Protesters Want?
Listen to them and you will find out
It seems like so long ago now that Canada's capital city, Ottawa, was besieged by angry truckers and their allies who blocked off sections of the city for 21 days before they were finally ousted.
The controversy over everything that happened still hangs over this country even as the world's attention has turned towards the war in Ukraine.
There are many aspects to the protests that I find to be quite frustrating. I wasn't a supporter of the way those folks chose to protest. It was illegal to protest the way they were, by blocking off large chunks of the downtown, honking horns for hours on edge, playing music from a stage, shooting off fireworks, idling trucks 24/7. The entire protest could not be allowed to continue. Twenty one days was enough. And, it was ended.
So, why were they doing this? Well, it depends on who you ask. If you listen to the protesters themselves, they were there because they were angry about mandates imposed by governments in regards to Covid-19. They felt as though they either had to comply and get a vaccine that they are skeptical or scared about or they would lose jobs, the right to travel and expelled from society by not being allowed to go into restaurants or theaters. Many felt that this was government overreach. Some of those upset were vaccinated but opposed governments telling people that they had to get vaxxed against their will to be part of society.
Granted, it's a frustrating position for other Canadians to deal with. Most Canadians have gotten vaccinated and approve of mandates that separate those who aren't vaxxed from those that are. They approve of people losing their job if they refuse to vax. Those who oppose the mandates are seen as a problem. They are selfish and putting everyone else at risk. They aren't pulling their weight in this pandemic and there is resentment towards them.
RELATED: Covid-19: The Battle Between Freedom and Safety
But, the protesters do have an understandable point. Many of us have had no problem taking the vaccine, and have had zero side effects. But, to force a person to put something in their body that they don't feel comfortable with? That raises some ethical concerns, for sure. The whole concept of "my body, my choice" definitely fits in here. And over and over, this was the clear message being sent. It wasn't that hard to figure out what they wanted because they were very out in the open with it and hammered the message home every single day from their stage that featured a wide variety of speakers in the middle of the Ottawa protest sight. So, why on earth are critics not listening?
Heather Campbell wrote an opinion piece in the Calgary Herald outlining what SHE believes the protests were about:
"The recent blockades in Canada were not about COVID-19. They were about white supremacy and extremism. The blockaders are not patriots nor are they oppressed. The blockaders are an irrational mob of thugs upset about injury to their individual entitlement and panicked about the erosion of their white privilege."
And, unfortunately, this is the message from critics over and over again. The issue that the truckers are protesting against? Ya, apparently that isn't what they are fighting against. Sigh.
It's rather arrogant for the critics to not listen to what the protesters are saying and instead make up their very own narrative about what they are supposedly actually protesting against. Instead of just making up your own story, why not actually LISTEN to what the protesters are saying and maybe have some empathy and understanding. That doesn't mean that you have to support them or embrace them. But, instead of arrogantly telling them what they are actually doing, try to at least listen and realize that they know better than you why they are out there.
About the Creator
Chris Hearn
I'm a 47 year old writer, amateur photographer and amateur dad living in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
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