(Vankleek Hill and Ottawa) After retreating to Ottawa, protesters converged on other gathering places on Sunday.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
In Vankleek Hill, about 100 kilometers from the Canadian capital, between Ottawa and Montreal, more than a hundred people gathered until late evening, before having to pack up.
In the parking lot of the Herb’s truck stop, several dozen trucks and cars honked their horns as The Press. Tents, on which one could read “Convoy of freedom 2022”, sheltered many protesters from Ottawa.
In the early evening, trucks decorated with Canadian flags and other motorized vehicles left the parking lot, at the request of the owner of the truck stop, according to an organizer. He nevertheless specified that demonstrators could remain for several more hours.
PHOTO PHILIPPE BOIVIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Granny, protester
None of the interviewees wanted to reveal their last name, claiming that they did not trust the traditional media. “I’m here for my beliefs, for freedom of choice,” says Granny. She refused to talk about the vaccination obligation and the vaccine against COVID-19 in general in order “not to pronounce the word in V”. The lady says she is at the truck stop for her two grandchildren. “Me, I had a good life,” she argues.
Suzanne, a resident of Lac-Mégantic, says she came to encourage the truckers. “I find that we are currently restricted in our freedoms. It’s not a question of being vaccinated or not, it’s a question of having the choice. Here, there are vaccinated and unvaccinated people, but there is no hatred, ”she says, deploring the “social injustice” surrounding health measures.
We live in fear and limits in Canada. And all of that affected us in every possible way. During this time, there hasn’t really been any mental health support. That’s what we’re here for.
Suzanne, resident of Lac-Mégantic
Steve, a farmer from the Hawkesbury area, agrees. “We are here because we want freedom. We want to live happy and free. We like what we do, but we also like to take vacations, go to restaurants, like everyone else. Except that now the government gives us names, labels, and insults us,” he insists, calling on people to stop division and instead to “love one another.”
Protesters move
Other protesters also gathered outside the Canadian War Museum, some two kilometers west of the main parliamentary buildings.
PHOTO PHILIPPE BOIVIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Other protesters gathered outside the Canadian War Museum.
” It is not finished. As soon as we can, we will be going back! This is our country and this is our city. They don’t belong to Justin Trudeau. He wants to be a dictator. Everything he does is taken from a dictator’s manual,” Scott protested as cars honked at the intersection of closed Wellington and Booth streets.
Wrapped in a Cuban flag, Herbert Eduardo Smith Dominguez moved to this new place of protest to denounce what he perceives as a dangerous political shift. For three weeks, he has been protesting in Ottawa to denounce this more than the sanitary measures.
PHOTO PHILIPPE BOIVIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Protesters outside the Canadian War Museum
“It is the imposition of a new globalization of communism. Justin Trudeau loves [l’ancien président de Cuba] Fidel Castro,” he says, drawing parallels between the prime minister and the leaders of Venezuela, Nicaragua, North Korea and even China.
Sunday evening, other demonstrators also gathered in the Embrun sector, a municipality located south of Ottawa. Police authorities said Sunday that close surveillance of these various gatherings will continue to be provided outside the city of Ottawa.