LEBANON, New Hampshire — Some 50 supporters, cheering for the stars-and-stripes, stared up at the 15-foot flag high above the bed of a logging truck parked at The Fort on Wednesday morning.
They gathered at the truck stop off Interstate 89, just past the Vermont border, alongside a logging truck, an oil tanker and about a dozen smaller vehicles. Soon, Vermont’s Freedom Convoy, a protest bound for Washington, D.C., would roll south.
Originally organized to oppose Covid-19-related vaccine and mask mandates, the international movement has carried on — even as many mask requirements are dropping.
Still, those present Wednesday cited private-sector vaccine mandates and what they saw as government overreach and disrespect for the U.S. Constitution as the inspiration behind their participation.
Plans circulated on Facebook showed convoys from every New England state rendezvousing in Montgomery, New York, on Wednesday night. Vermont’s convoy launched in Lebanon, briefly heading north on I-89 to White River Junction before turning south on Interstate 91 through Vermont.
Vermont State Police spokesperson Adam Silverman said he was aware of the convoy moving through the state.
Modeled after a protest launched by Canadian truckers in January, the group is expected to reach the D.C. area this weekend, where the National Guard has been activated ahead of their arrival.
At the center of Wednesday’s gathering at The Fort was Fatima David Conant of Strafford, a volunteer who coordinated donations and helped organize the send-off on Facebook.
“I’m very happy with the turnout and support,” she said. “I’m pleased with all types of families that are here and all ages and people from all backgrounds.”
Open trunks and pick-up beds flowed over with everything from bottled water and seltzer to Cocoa Puffs cereal, beef jerky and paper towels.
One person circulated yellow pamphlets decrying the lost Christian influence in the American government. Another squeezed an orange air horn, drawing cheers.
“People are very thoughtful with their supplies, just thinking about cold weather and being out for long periods,” Conant said. Her primary goal as an organizer was to facilitate the trip south “in a peaceful and safe, supportive way,” she said.
Throughout the morning, she shuffled purposefully between cars, leaning into rolled-down windows, sharing messages. Attendees offered hugs, financial contributions and supplies.
Around 11, she began mobilizing the convoy. A trumpeter blew a cavalry charge, an onlooker beat a drum. People shouted “freedom.” The logging truck, whose ceremonious flag-raising united attendees an hour earlier, took up the pole position.
The driver donned a “Truck Trudeau” hat in MAGA-red. The semi’s grill sported a Thomas Jefferson quote: “When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty.” The phrase encircled the Roman numeral “III,” an emblem associated with the Three Percenters, a well-documented anti-government militia.
The name refers to the false claim that only 3% of colonists fought the British during the American Revolution. Today, Three Percenters claim to fight what they see as an analogously tyrannical American government. Participants at right-wing causes — ranging from the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville to the Jan. 6, 2021, invasion of the U.S. Capitol — have sported the logo.
Among the crowd, supporters rallied around a single word.
“Freedom,” Jason Ethier, a truck owner-operator, said when asked about the day’s most important issue. “Just getting your rights back.”
They were also angered by what they saw as hypocrisy at several high-profile events, ranging from the Super Bowl to concerts. Plenty of celebrities at those events were not wearing masks, ralliers in Lebanon said, even as regular people were being required to mask their kids at schools.
Previously, most supporters only interacted online. Much preparation had been virtual, through Facebook groups, Telegram messages and walkie-talkie-style online communication on Zello.
Jude Piser of South Walden served as an administrator of the Freedom Convoy VT Telegram group, flagging spammers and dissenting voices, keeping everyone focused on the truckers.
When the day finally arrived to gather in real life, Piser grew giddy.
“I’ve been up since 3 o’clock because I couldn’t sleep,” she said.
Piser spent $200 purchasing supplies, “snacks, cookies, peanuts, soups,” she said, “which is a lot of my income. But that’s OK. I mean, it’s like I told my daughter, you can’t put a price on freedom.”
