FIGHT THE POWER: Stellantis Makes Decision on Vaccine, Truckers Head to Ottawa.
While the automaker had previously been working up to companywide vaccine mandates, it pushed back its vaccine deadline for early January. This week, Stellantis confirmed that it will be abandoning the scheme entirely after suggesting that the existing compliance rates were sufficient. Though something tells me that executives have become aware of the swelling pushback against COVID restrictions and became concerned with the optics.
There’s presently a 45-mile long (claimed) convoy of U.S. and Canadian truckers that are headed for Ottawa to protest government mandates and drumming up support along the way. Believed to be the largest organized grouping of motor vehicles in human history, the “Freedom Convoy” left Vancouver earlier in the week to give the Canadian capital a piece of its mind about what’s been going on over the last two years. While focused on undoing government mandates in the general sense, its primary target is new rules that require every trucker crossing the U.S.-Canadian border to be fully vaccinated or face a mandatory 14-day quarantine period.
The group has numerous social media accounts, with the biggest showing 300,000 supporters on Facebook, and has managed to raise $5.5 million (Canadian) from 70,000 donations on GoFundMe. Though accessing the money might be difficult, as GoFundMe opted to freeze the money after citing allegedly suspicious activity. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also called the group a “fringe minority” holding “unacceptable views.” Meanwhile, Ottawa’s police chief is telling locals to stay home and avoid the protest when it comes into town this weekend.
“Let me be very clear: we are prepared to investigate, arrest if necessary, charge and prosecute anyone who acts violently or breaks the law in the demonstrations, or in association with the demonstrations,” Chief Peter Sloly said Friday morning. “We have the capability and commitment to pursue investigations and prosecutions well after the demonstrations have ended.”
Police also said they were monitoring “inappropriate and threatening language on social media related to this event” and that there would be consequences for people who engaged in criminal conduct.
Similar warnings have been issued in cities across the world over as lockdown protests have become increasingly common. European cities routinely saw tens of thousands of people marching in opposition to government mandates throughout the latter half of 2021. The same has been true in Australia, Canada, and the United States with legacy media frequently framing protestors as political extremists.
Truckers have refuted those accusations.
“I’m here [in Ontario] today so we can get our freedom back from Mr. Trudeau who is running our country not very appropriately. I’m a vaccinated truck driver, I cross the border weekly. I don’t have a problem with the vaccine, but I have a problem because we should have the right to choose what we want to do and not lose our jobs over it,” Marie Weir told local outlet Orilla Matters on Thursday. “If you don’t get vaccinated you can’t cross the border. There’s nurses, doctors, PSWs, everybody – if you’re not vaccinated you lose your job. Where’s our economy going to go? It’s not fair to you and I.”
While I cannot pretend to know what’s in the heart of every individual protestor, the Freedom Convoy has been explicit in stating that it’s really only interested in a return to normalcy. Organizers have said that vaccine mandates are creating disastrous problems with supply chains and would continue to even if compliance was universal. Though their keystone argument is that the Canadian government has overstepped its bounds and needs to revoke any-and-all mandates pertaining to the pandemic. Truckers also got some impromptu support from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who praised them over social media.
The governing class needs to see enough pushback to make it less aggressive in the future.