As the world began watching Royal Canadian Mounted Police descend upon truckers protesting the Canadian government’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement on its southern border, protesters were stationed inside a nearby building voting on whether or not to give in to police pressure trying to break up their convoy demanding vaccine freedom. After a voice vote in favor of staying put — continuing to block the entryway between the U.S and Canada — the group can be seen bowing their heads praying the “Our Father.”
Over the past week, a “Freedom Convoy” of more than 50,000 truckers formed in Canada, protesting the government’s mandates requiring truck drivers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or face forced quarantine each time upon returning over the United States border. That protest ended in Ottawa, Ontario, the nation’s capital.
On Monday, The Daily Wire reported that a second “Freedom Convoy” had formed just north of the American border in Coutts, Alberta:
The blockade began Saturday, when drivers began to assemble on Highway 4 in Coutts, Alberta, on the border of Canada and the United States. The protest blocked travel completely on both sides of the Coutts border crossing, the Western Standard, an Alberta-based news site, reported Saturday. “Nothing is moving on either side of the border. They have blocked the shoulders now in both directions, too. You can’t get by at all now,” said reporter James Finkbeiner.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police issued a traffic advisory shortly afterward, according to Global News Canada. Coutts Mayor Jim Willett said that as of Saturday, the protest had been peaceful.
The protest seemed to escalate Sunday. Royal Canadian Mounted Police posted a statement to Facebook Sunday morning declaring the protest unlawful. “The Alberta RCMP continue to act to preserve the peace and maintain public safety at the Coutts border crossing. Extensive efforts have been taken to engage with all stakeholders in the hopes that a peaceful resolution can be reached. We are working with truck drivers who are attempting to disengage from this event so that they are able to do so; however, current conditions have traffic immobilized.”
Later in the day, truckers were surrounded by RCMP reportedly equipped with towtrucks and other tactical units. In a video taken by Rebel News’s Kian Simone, truckers can be heard having a brief debate on the merits of staying versus leaving.
“The only way I am leaving is in a cruiser” one can be heard saying.
“I’m with you 100 percent,” one man responded.
“The ones who want to leave can leave,” another said pounding the table.
“They can issue us a ticket for a highways traffic act,” one trucker exasperatingly said. “Bring on the ticket!”
During that debate, the truckers voted by voice and cheers that they would be “staying.” That video can be seen here:
Surrounded and forced to make a difficult decision. Motion has passed, they are staying.
Stay tuned.
More at https://t.co/NxAr5V5Iko pic.twitter.com/kIyM8lGmTA
— Kian Simone (@kiansimone44) January 31, 2022
Sometime thereafter, the truckers turned “to God, surrounded and cornered in by Kenneys government,” Simone said. Kenney is in reference to Jason Kenney, the premier of Alberta. Simone’s video shows the men, more than a dozen, bowing their heads and reciting the “Our Father” or the “Lord’s Prayer” as it is also known by some Christians:
The truckers turn to God, surrounded and cornered in by Kenneys government.
More at https://t.co/NxAr5V5Iko pic.twitter.com/JCOsa1a2fQ
— Kian Simone (@kiansimone44) January 31, 2022
At press time, negotiations had begun between the truckers and Canadian authorities. The truckers are demanding that the COVID-19 vaccine mandates be dropped across the country.
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