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American Truckers Lend Their Support for ‘Freedom Convoy’

Canadian truckers still holding the line against what they believe is government overreach are getting help from their American brethren. Several U.S. truckers say they stand with members of the so-called “Freedom Convoy” and want the government to pay attention.

For weeks, members of the Freedom Convoy have blockaded streets across Canada to protest that country’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Truckers there who travel to the United States must quarantine for two weeks if they are not fully vaccinated. They say that forces them to choose between their jobs and their values.

Several American truckers told Fox News that they agree with their northern neighbors. They want the government to show them more respect.

“It’s dead wrong for Canadian leaders to use emergency powers to impact these truckers,” said John Brubaker, a 62-year-old trucker from Iowa. “It shows no respect for the enormous role truckers play in the economy — and it’s dictatorial.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the rare step this week of enacting emergency powers to quell protests. The decision came after the Freedom Convoy blocked several bridges to the United States, which slowed trade to a trickle. Police had to tow several trucks and arrest several truckers on Sunday to reopen the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit to Canada.

“The truckers just want to be heard,” Brubaker told Fox.

Freedom Convoy Sparks Similar Protests, Including in U.S.

The protests have inspired similar movements around the world. For instance, French truckers blocked roads in Paris and clashed with military police. And in the United States, dozens of big rig drivers gathered in Buffalo this week at a bridge that connects the U.S. and Canada to show their support.

One of the organizers of the New York protest, the “Convoy to Save America,” said this is about the right to choose. They chose the battle cry, “No mandates, no mask rules, no more lies.”

Another group, the “People’s Convoy,” wants truckers and supporters from around the country to drive to Washington, D.C., later this month. They expect 1,000 people to join the protests, Newsweek reported.

“This is about our rights, as well as the freedom of future generations,” organizers of that convoy wrote on Facebook. “It’s not about political parties, but more so about a government that has forgotten its place and has no regard for our founding fathers’ instructions.”

Though, it’s unclear if these truckers are doing more harm for their cause than good. Poll after poll shows the majority of Canadians don’t agree with the Freedom Convoy. Most Canadians are fully vaccinated and believe that the truckers should be too. But a growing number of people also think Prime Minister Trudeau has made the problem worse.

The movement is also coming at what epidemiologists believe is the tail end of the pandemic. Several cities and states, including Democratic strongholds, are relaxing mask mandates as the number of people infected with coronavirus continues to fall around the globe.