A few days after Joe Biden was elected, I wrote in the pages of The Press that Trumpism was still very much alive, even though Donald Trump had lost the election. 1 “The reverberations of a Trumpist America will reverberate around the world. All that remains is for us to fasten our hats and tighten our seat belts, because the road to a fairer and healthier world will be long and bumpy. »
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
There were several of us last weekend to tie our hats double-wrapped. It was very difficult to remain zen watching these demonstrators claim that their freedom is threatened by health measures when these are provisions that are intended to alleviate suffering and save lives.
It was downright unbearable to hear these people chanting reactionary and negationist slogans, while our loved ones are directly affected by this inability to face reality.
On the day of the convoy, I learned that the mother of a good friend, a woman who has been a part of our lives for over 50 years, has a cancerous tumor on her face. His assessment appointment was delayed for a month following the load shedding. And we just found out that the tumor has grown so fast that she’s going to have to have emergency surgery and she’s going to need reconstructive surgery.
Like Patrick Lagacé, I believe that Canadian Trumpism “took a truck ride”. 2 Should we be worried about it?
On the one hand, I tell myself that we shouldn’t worry about people who aren’t even smart enough to understand that they couldn’t demonstrate and disrupt like they do if we really lived in a totalitarian state.
On the other hand, I remember very well the entry into politics of Donald Trump. They said he was a clown and that he would never be elected.
Proportionally, insurgents and their supporters represent a small percentage of the Canadian population. On the other hand, their critical mass is large enough to give wings to far-right movements.
Above all, the leaders of the convoy should not be underestimated. It is very likely that they knowingly exploited pandemic fatigue and the disgust of Canadians for ideological purposes.
The most disturbing thing now is to see the Nazi and Confederate flags appear. Even more worrying is to note that the sympathizers do not seem to have taken to their heels.
Jewish author Joseph Joffo, known for his novel A bag of marbles is often asked whether to fear a resurgence of anti-Semitism. His response could serve as a warning to us: “We must remain vigilant… If, today, France were to go through a serious economic crisis again… that would, I believe, play into the hands of those who preach xenophobia, racism and, of course, anti-Semitism. » 3
3. A bag of marblesJoseph Joffo, Jean-Claude Lattes editions