Truck drivers in Canada are not happy with a vaccine mandate that took effect on Jan. 15, and they are taking to the streets to show their displeasure.
According to Fox News, the protesters have billed themselves the “Freedom Convoy 2022.” The group departed from Vancouver for Ottawa on Sunday, and it is protesting the vaccine mandate for truckers who travel across borders.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance estimated 15 percent of Canadian truckers have not been fully vaccinated, Fox News reported. That would amount to approximately 16,000 unvaccinated drivers.
As the Freedom Convoy makes the trip of over 2,700 miles, many outlets have documented the journey.
This is the kind of reaction that all countries need to create.
What a diference between #CANADIANS and #australiansGood job, #CANADA The free people are all behind you!#letfreedomreign #canadianconvoy #CanadaTruckers #WeAreWithYouCANADA #TrudeauDictatorshipMustGo pic.twitter.com/hBCiHQ7zif
— #nofollowbackanymore (@nenanineta) January 27, 2022
Canada’s trucker protest continues with thousands and thousands of vehicles. pic.twitter.com/rO0RClVjP0
— Aaron Ginn (@aginnt) January 26, 2022
#Canada #TruckersForFreedom
The people stand with Truckers NOT Trudeau pic.twitter.com/VwLcxPPDLh— Snezhana ☦️ (@Snezhana_Slav) January 23, 2022
On Sunday, one Twitter user posted a video that showed supporters greeting the convoy in Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada.
The trucker freedom convoy is greeted by supporters in Salmon Arm, BC, Canada as it makes it’s way to Ottawa to protest mandates. pic.twitter.com/nSPtPOh9kv
— Marie Oakes (@TheMarieOakes) January 24, 2022
By Thursday, traffic cameras in Ontario, Canada, showed supporters gathering to support the Freedom Convoy.
Supporters of the freedom trucker convoy are being picked up on traffic cameras all over Ontario, Canada filling up the overpasses. pic.twitter.com/ofwJmOo6Ie
— Marie Oakes (@TheMarieOakes) January 27, 2022
Even young children called in to show their support for the convoy.
Looking forward to to seeing the look on @JustinTrudeau’s face when this “small, fringe minority” arrive at his front door. #TruckersForFreedom2022 #TruckerConvoy2022 pic.twitter.com/KLsmrOYTjQ
— Laurence Fox ✝️ (@LozzaFox) January 27, 2022
According to Fox News, the Freedom Convoy 2022 could potentially break the Guinness World Record for the largest convoy ever recorded. That title is currently held by a 2020 convoy in Egypt that spanned almost five miles.
Freedom Convoy 2022 spokesperson Benjamin Dichter told the Toronto Sun this convoy is already much longer than that.
“It’s 70 km long,” Dichter said. “I have seen footage from an airplane. It’s impressive.”
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Seventy kilometers would be equal to more than 43 miles, almost nine times longer than the world record convoy in Egypt.
On Wednesday, the Toronto Sun reported estimates put the number of trucks in the convoy as high as 50,000. A GoFundMe campaign for the convoy had raised more than $5 million as of Wednesday.
While some reports suggested the campaign had been frozen by GoFundMe, Dichter said those reports were “fake news.”
GoFundMe spokesman Rachel Hollis told the Toronto Sun the company was “continuing to work directly with the organizer to gather information about how funds are being distributed.”
“This is part of our standard process to ensure the protection of all donors,” she said, adding that “once a withdrawal plan is provided by the organizer, our team is on standby to safely and quickly deliver the funds.”
The Toronto Sun reported the convoy had held together through British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, but it noted winter weather could present issues as the convoy tries to arrive in Ottawa on Saturday.
If it holds together, it may be 10 times longer than the current world record.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.