A GROUP of truckers protesting Covid restrictions that have been dubbed the "Freedom Convoy" are set to hit Washington DC tomorrow.
The truckers, an offshoot of protests in Canada in recent weeks, are promising to bring traffic to a halt in DC on Saturday, according to the group.
Many attendees said they supported “medical freedom” and wanted Covid mask mandates to end.
Mask mandates already are ending across the country after new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week removed strong mask recommendations for much of the country.
The convoy is made up of dozens of trucks and hundreds of cars, according to NBC News.
Read our Freedom Convoy live blog for the latest news and updates…
- G. P. Rodriguez
Mask mandates ending across US
Mask mandates already are ending across the country after new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week removed strong mask recommendations for much of the country.
Washington’s indoor mask mandate is set to end on March 12.
- G. P. Rodriguez
Attendees support 'medical freedom'
The Spokesman-Review reported the convoy is a spinoff from a protest in Canada started by truckers upset at vaccine requirements to cross the Canadian border.
Many attendees of the “Freedom Convoy” said they supported “medical freedom” and wanted mask mandates to end.
- G. P. Rodriguez
From Washington state to DC
Onlookers cheered from overpasses as a string of cars drove down Interstate 90 as part of a “Freedom Convoy,” which organizers say is headed to Washington D.C. in protest of COVID-19 restrictions.
Wednesday’s event left Spokane with about a half-dozen semitrucks and about 75 other vehicles. At least a hundred people gathered on overpasses to cheer them on.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Convoy on the move?
A Twitter user shared a video on March 3 that he claimed to be a video of the American version of the Freedom Convoy allegedly "in Indiana on its way to DC."
- Josie Rhodes Cook
'Freedom Convoy' demands 'accountability'
The demands of the "Freedom Convoy" group here in America are vague, NBC News noted.
Their current aims seem to be calling for “accountability,” according to Sara Aniano, a researcher on the topic of extremism who has been following the convoy in Telegram chats.
“That could mean financial accountability. It could be physical accountability," she told NBC.
"It could be legal accountability. Their inability to distinguish what exactly that means is where the concern lies,” Aniano said.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Convoy potentially headed to White House
One organizer of the American "Freedom Convoy," Dan Fitzegerald, has live-streamed his time with the convoy on YouTube, NBC News reported.
He said on a morning stream on Friday, March 4: "I can tell you now that there will be select trucks going to the White House."
But specific plans about what the convoy and its members plan to do once it reaches DC remain under wraps.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Trump praised ‘Freedom Convoy’ in Canada
In his CPAC speech in late February, former President Trump said it was America’s responsibility to defend Canadian democracy.
If Democrats truly want to “look abroad and fight for what they want to fight for, they should start with the democracy that is under threat right next door," Trump said. “It’s called Canada.”
He claimed the truckers who were a part of the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” were victims of “tyranny” and charged with “phony crimes.”
“They’re being hunted down like enemies of their own government,” he accused.
"You are either with the peaceful truckers, or you are with the left-wing fascists."
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Trump supported Canadian 'Freedom Convoy'
Former President Trump also claimed that GoFundMe is “denying access to funds that belong to the Freedom Convoy.”
“This is unacceptable and extremely dangerous in any country that values free expression,” Trump added in his statement supporting the Candian Freedom Convoy, which inspired the one in the United States.
“TruthSocial is announcing today that we are welcoming the Freedom Convoy with open arms to communicate freely on TruthSocial when we launch – coming very soon! TruthSocial will fight back against Big Tech so we can protect our rights to free expression.”
He ended the statement with a jab at Facebook, writing, “Also, on top of everything, it is big news that Facebook daily users went down for the first time ever, people are tired of biased social media like Twitter and Facebook, and it’s showing in their numbers!”
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Trump supported Canadian 'Freedom Convoy'
Former President Donald Trump released a statement supporting the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” on February 4.
“Facebook and Big Tech are seeking to destroy the Freedom Convoy of Truckers,” he began.
“The Freedom Convoy is peacefully protesting the harsh policies of far left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates.”
“Now, thankfully, the Freedom Convoy could be coming to DC with American Truckers who want to protest Biden’s ridiculous Covid policies.”
He also previously claimed that Facebook was “canceling” the Freedom Convoy USA accounts.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Convoy adds members
The "Freedom Convoy" has picked up hundreds of cars and numerous trucks since the truckers left a parking lot in Adelanto, California, on February 22, NBC News reported.
The outlet noted that researchers following the movement say it now includes "several dozen tractor-trailer trucks and hundreds of cars."
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Demonstrations followed Canadian 'model'
“They are definitely going to follow the Canadian model and shut down Washington,” a DHS official said of the Freedom Convoy in America back in February, referring to the previous protests centered around Ottawa, Canada.
That protest drew hundreds of truckers and others to Ottawa, according to Yahoo News.
The demonstration disrupted traffic throughout the Canadian capital and caused the mayor there to declare a state of emergency.
Protesters blocked off traffic in both directions along the Ambassador Bridge that connects Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit, Michigan, and shut down one of the busiest international border crossings between Canada and the United States.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
DHS bulletin warned of impact on US
There were previously concerns that trucker protests across the country could impact the biggest sports day of the year for many Americans – Super Bowl Sunday.
A DHS bulletin sent to local and state officials warned of “truck drivers planning to potentially block roads in major metropolitan cities in the United States in protest of, among other things, vaccine mandates for truck drivers”, according to Yahoo News.
However, the convoy did not interrupt the Super Bowl in February.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Telegram organization
The "Freedom Convoy" here in the United States was mostly organized on pro-Trump and anti-vaccine channels on the Telegram messaging app.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Many mask mandates ending
Although many of the truckers seem in support of the end of mask mandates, such mandates are already are ending across the country.
Cities and states across the country have been easing mask mandates after new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week removed strong mask recommendations for much of the United States.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
What is their plan?
It's unclear exactly what the convoy will do once it reaches Washington DC, and the trucker's aims seemed vague even as late as Friday, when the group hit a pit stop in Maryland, NBC News reported.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
What do the truckers want?
Many attendees of the "Freedom Convoy" said they supported “medical freedom” and wanted Covid mask mandates to end.
- Josie Rhodes Cook
Where is the convoy headed?
A United States version of the "Freedom Convoy" is set to hit Washington DC tomorrow.
The goal of the truckers is to bring traffic to a halt in DC on Saturday, according to the group.
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