“China eats weird animals disease”

With the ongoing trucker protests that have rocked Ottawa and several other Canadian cities and jurisdictions, it is reasonable to say that we’ve reached the peak of the politicization of this pandemic.

Something like this was bound to happen.

The support the protest has garnered is clearly a product of frustrations that have reached a tipping point after two years of botched pandemic responses. The two main ingredients of it are manifestly the collapse in trust in institutions and the astonishing lack of self-awareness of our politicians that continues to fuel it.

Police have intercepted hundreds of vehicles trying to enter Paris as part of a protest against France’s coronavirus regulations.

Authorities have deployed more than 7,000 officers over the next three days in a bid to stop the demonstrators.

Some vehicles managed to arrive at the Arc de Triomphe in the city, and tear gas was fired at demonstrators on the nearby Champs-Élysées.

Similar demonstrations have started to spread around the world.

FRANCE: Police smash the window of a convoy for freedom vehicle on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. pic.twitter.com/iTvVHgsh1V

— Apex World News (@apexworldnews) February 12, 2022

The official response to the truckers protesting COVID restrictions is one of the most disgraceful political episodes in the history of Canada as an autonomous country. The prime minister’s statement that the truckers were probably homophobic, trans-phobic, misogynists and racists was an outrage that was unsupported by evidence. 

Cornwall, ON / Massena, NY border crossing this morning pic.twitter.com/DPCc31Nity

— Jason “Fringe Minority” Pichie (@JasonPichie) February 12, 2022

Protesters gathered at Parliament House in the Australian capital, Canberra on Saturday, demanding an end to coronavirus measures. The demonstrators, who arrived by truck, car, and bus over the last week, had camped at a nearby festival ground.

For a second straight weekend, the city’s downtown core is a locked-down maze of blocked streets.

In an effort to avoid what has taken root in the nation’s capital, Toronto Police are not taking any chances.

They will have extra powers this weekend due to the state of emergency declared by Premier Doug Ford.

Meanwhile in Windsor

Even though police have been moving in on protesters in Windsor, pushing them back, the crowd size actually seems to be growing. More protesters are arriving and few are leaving. pic.twitter.com/zC44VwqtUA

— Thomas Daigle (@thomasdaigle) February 12, 2022

The last time I’ve seen numbers close to this were in the final days of Brian Mulroney,’ says Maru pollster

As Freedom Convoy marks its second week entrenched in the Canadian capital, a new poll is providing some of the clearest evidence yet that this affair could end up dealing a catastrophic blow to the leadership of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Is Trudeau losing his fight against truckers?

As anti-vaccine mandate protests drag on in Ottawa and spread to border crossings across the country, threatening trade, the Canadian prime minister is facing growing pressure to step in.

Before they had reached the national capital, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau referred to the convoy of truckers and their like-minded supporters as a “small fringe minority”.

Two weeks later, he’s facing a spiralling crisis.

Alberta not following Ontario’s lead with state of emergency over protest, blockade: Kenney

The Alberta government won’t be following Ontario’s lead in declaring a state of emergency to address the ongoing trucker convoy protest and bridge blockade, says premier Jason Kenney.

In an interview on CTV’s Question Period airing Sunday, Kenney said the province already has the necessary laws in place to take action if necessary.

OTTAWA — Nadine Ellis-Maffei thought the knock at the door of her farmhouse was someone who spotted one of her livestock getting loose.

She said she never dreamed it would be the “thought police and Big Brother.”

Or, in this case, Big Sister.

The Windsor Police have commenced enforcement near the Ambassador Bridge, Windsor, Ont.

In a tweet Saturday morning, the department confirmed the same and said, “We urge all demonstrators to act lawfully and peacefully. Commuters are still being asked to avoid the areas affected by the demonstrations at this time.”

Truly surreal scene in Windsor as police close in on protesters while loud Sam Smith music plays over the speakers pic.twitter.com/1apF8wvYW5

— Thomas Daigle (@thomasdaigle) February 12, 2022

Huge police presence. So far, one by one, all the protesters in vehicles have left as asked. pic.twitter.com/nu9dFHuDcU

— á ’ Global News (@ConsumerSOS) February 12, 2022

Windsor police removing protesters from Ambassador Bridge Saturday morning

Live feeds

LIVE FROM AMBASSADOR BRIDGE – Police descend upon blockade https://t.co/ZrXN9zpdYb

— Isabelle Rivo (@isabellerivo) February 12, 2022

Twitter – #AmbassadorBridge

A Canadian financial institution has struck another blow against the attempts by the convoy group blockading Ottawa to collect on the millions of dollars it has solicited in online donations.

On Friday, TD Bank told CTV News that it would apply to surrender to an Ontario court the money that had not been refunded by GoFundMe, totalling about $1 million, as well as some $400,000 the group had accepted through direct donations.

They were quite happy working with Kim Jong Un – until they got caught.

TD Bank pays US$115,005 for North Korea & narcotics kingpin US sanctions breaches

Freedom Convoy truckers are still on the US-Canada Ambassador Bridge – in defiance of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 7pm and then midnight deadlines to clear the road on Friday.

Trudeau had said that ‘everything is on the table’ to end the protest and Ottawa police were on the scene with threats to forcibly remove the truckers who have been blocking the busy bridge for days. Officers had also handed out flyers warning those refusing to retreat that they risked CA $100,000 fines ($78,000) and the permanent loss of their commercial driving license.

But the big showdown never came as police declined to move in on the hundreds of protesters milling around on the comparatively mild 38 degrees Fahrenheit evening. Police patrol cars were parked with their lights flashing, but few officers were visible.

#AmbassadorBridgeBlockade #WindsorBlockade pic.twitter.com/thkd1pRL1U

— John Vennavally-Rao (@jvrCTV) February 12, 2022