Inspired by Canadian counterparts, some Vermonters are planning to participate in a trucker-led “Freedom Convoy” to Washington, D.C., to protest Covid-19-related mandates, according to posts in a Facebook group organizing the Northeast route.
The so-called Freedom Convoy in Canada began in late January when trucker convoys across several routes convened in the capital of Ottawa. There, they were joined by pedestrian protesters with the goal of ending Covid mandates generally and vaccine requirements for truckers more specifically.
Signs of support for the convoy have occasionally been visible in Vermont this week, as scattered protesters have flown Canadian flags over Interstate 89 in Montpelier and Burlington.
On Wednesday, a picketer standing among five people on Route 2 in Burlington held a sign asking I-89 commuters to “honk for freedom.” Some 94 miles south, just past Vermont’s border with New Hampshire, truckers at The Fort truck stop in Lebanon shared diverging opinions.
“Everyone knows about it,” said trucker Roger Morris, who stopped to refuel his 18-wheeler on the way back to his home state of Virginia. He said he heard the convoy would be in April.
“It’s time these mandates were lifted. This country is about freedom of choice,” said Morris, who sported a “Let’s Go Brandon” hat, which is right-wing anti-Joe Biden shorthand.
Another driver named Chris, who declined to give his last name to avoid any controversy for his employer or fellow union members, said he had not heard about the U.S. convoy but had been following the protest in Canada.
“There’s no unity,” he said, noting that if some truckers opted to stop working, others would fill in. He noted that he had seen Canadian truckers all over the highway and questioned the utility of the protest in Ottawa.
“I don’t know who can afford to take all that time off work,” he said. “All that diesel — it’s expensive.”
Chris, who is vaccinated, said that the Canadian protest and grumblings from his colleagues have made him “wonder if I did the right thing” by getting the shots and wearing a mask.
He generally supports Covid mitigation measures and believes politicians are being too quick to end mask mandates, he said. His wife is a teacher in New Hampshire, and recently, 50 to 60 kids a day in her school have tested positive for Covid, he said. Even if the mask mandate in schools is lifted, he said, she will need to keep wearing a mask for safety.
The protests have sparked international concern and attention. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency on Sunday following disruptions that “paralyzed downtown Ottawa,” according to The New York Times.
Meanwhile, the Times reported Wednesday that a third point along the U.S.-Canadian border had been blocked by protesters, disrupting international travel. And Reuters reported the protest has crossed borders into Europe where similar convoys are heading to Paris and Brussels.
No date has been officially announced for the U.S. convoy, though Politico reported a March 4 start date.
Although Facebook recently deleted a group advertising the convoy, citing violation of QAnon-related policies, a similar group specific to the Northeast has recently sprung up and has more than 43,000 members.
That group has tentatively planned a convoy route south down Interstate 91, eventually converging with convoys traveling along other major throughways, according to posts on Facebook and the Telegram messaging app. Supporters on both sides of the Connecticut River have begun planning to supply resources for the convoy at rest stops, overpasses and exits along the routes.
A thread in that group organizing Vermonters to join the U.S. convoy has garnered more than 140 comments.
Dave Kopacz, a conservative media personality from Massachusetts who uses the screen name “Redpill Rebel,” is a vocal administrator in the Northeast Facebook group.
Participating Vermonters contacted via Facebook did not respond Wednesday.
Despite a groundswell of grassroots support online, Vermont’s officials appear unaware of the prospective protest.
“We have not been briefed on any planned protests,” Jason Maulucci, press secretary for Gov. Phil Scott, said in a written response to VTDigger.
He added that Scott “strongly urges anyone expressing their First Amendment right to protest to remain peaceful and be respectful of their fellow Vermonters.”
Adam Silverman, the spokesperson for the Vermont State Police, told VTDigger “there’s nothing specifically on our radar,” when asked about the convoy.
Wary of censorship from Facebook, organizers have expanded outreach to platforms like Gab — a free speech-oriented social media platform known for its conservative base — and Telegram — an encrypted messaging application.
The Canadian Freedom Convoy does not have a designated leader. The same is true in the U.S., although Brian Brase, a trucker from Pennsylvania who recently appeared on the Tucker Carlson Show, has emerged as a leading voice.
If supporters adopt the Canadian model, individually organized convoys may join together after the earliest participants begin their drive.
