Dozens of truckers and other protesters opposed to the health measures implemented against COVID-19 formed a “convoy” in southern California on Wednesday which must cross the United States to protest in Washington, at 4,200 km away.
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Emulating the Canadian demonstrators who, after a similar caravan, blocked the capital Ottawa for more than three weeks, the organizers of this “people’s convoy” planned to arrive on the outskirts of the American capital on March 5 for a demonstration of strength.
Participants in the convoy, which left the small town of Adelanto, Southern California, at midday are supported by many conservative anti-vaccine and anti-mask organizations.
“It is time to reopen the country”, they proclaim on their website, where the amount of donations received reached Wednesday more than 460,000 dollars according to them.
Their manifesto also calls for “the restoration of the Constitution”, which they consider flouted by health measures.
This slogan had attracted some 200 people to the parking lot of the Adelanto stadium, for the most part with the usual panoply of ultra-conservative militants: pick-ups, American flags and banners proclaiming “freedom”.
Shane Class, 48, an inveterate supporter of ex-President Donald Trump, has already traveled 1,300 km to come with his wife from Idaho (northwest) and intends to drive to the capital to demonstrate “peacefully” .
Proudly sporting a Donald Trump cap, he declares that “we are all here for a different reason, but it comes down to the same thing: freedom”.
Bryan Brase, one of the truckers at the head of the convoy, demands “a return to normal”. “We challenge the emergency measures that have been implemented and want an end to all mask-wearing and (mandatory) vaccination orders for federal employees and caregivers,” he says.
COVID-19 vaccines and mask-wearing have become a fault line in American society, and their refusal a marker of political affiliation.
Several Republican governors have thus invoked the protection of individual freedoms to introduce bans on the obligation to wear a mask in their state.
Dumpsters and National Guards
Before the departure of the convoy, Paul Alexander, who was an adviser to the United States Department of Health under the Trump presidency, took the floor to assure that “vaccines have failed”, even if the scientific community guarantees that they are safe, effective and constitute the best protection against serious forms of the disease.
To cheers, Dr Alexander then urged protesters to refrain from getting vaccinated against Covid-19, which has killed more than 940,000 Americans since the health crisis began.
The “convoy” may proclaim itself apolitical, many slogans also questioned the validity of the election of Democratic President Joe Biden, espousing the thesis of electoral fraud orchestrated, without any supporting evidence, the former -President Donald Trump.
After this meeting, about thirty heavy goods vehicles escorted by other vehicles revved up their engines and took the road towards Arizona, the first stage of the convoy.
The organizers say they want to respect the instructions of the police throughout their journey, which will not enter “Washington”, the heart of American institutions, but will remain on the outskirts.
This did not prevent the authorities from implementing measures to increase security in the capital, still remembering the events of January 6, 2021. White-hot by a speech by Donald Trump, hundreds of his supporters had made burst into the Capitol to prevent certification of Joe Biden’s victory.
The Ministry of Defense has authorized the deployment of 700 unarmed National Guardsmen to assist local law enforcement until March 7. These soldiers will not have the power to make arrests, but will be able to report all troublemakers to the police, specifies the Pentagon.
Heavy goods vehicles, snowplows or dumpsters were already deployed on Wednesday in certain streets of the capital to block access to sensitive sites, while several other “convoys” of demonstrators are announced around Washington in the coming days.
Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com