{"id":293018,"date":"2022-02-09T12:29:03","date_gmt":"2022-02-09T12:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/political\/ottawa-protest-inspires-talk-of-copycat-convoys-in-u-s-and-beyond.html"},"modified":"2022-02-09T12:29:03","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T12:29:03","slug":"ottawa-protest-inspires-talk-of-copycat-convoys-in-u-s-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/political\/ottawa-protest-inspires-talk-of-copycat-convoys-in-u-s-and-beyond.html","title":{"rendered":"Ottawa protest inspires talk of copycat convoys in U.S. and beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

A heated exchange unfolded in Washington a few days ago over a phenomenon not typically known for eliciting passions there.<\/p>\n

The topic was a culture-war battle. In Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

In the U.S. Congress, members laced into each other in a debate about the protest in Ottawa and the broader question of vaccine mandates.<\/p>\n

A Texas Republican voiced support for the convoy, while mocking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.<\/p>\n

“I’m perfectly happy to slap around the Canadian prime minister for his absolute, abject failure and to side with Canadian truckers,” lawmaker Chip Roy said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This was after a Democrat scolded Roy for propagating the absurd lie that Trudeau had escaped to the U.S. and was hiding there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“This is disinformation. Your disinformation,” said Rep. Mark Takano of California, chiding the Republican for a falsehood-spreading tweet<\/u><\/a> about the Canadian leader.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That exchange last week<\/u><\/a> underscored the extent to which the truck blockade in Ottawa has gone international, inspiring talk of copycat events in the U.S. and beyond.<\/p>\n

WATCH |\u00a0Protesters are outmanoeuvring law enforcement:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Experts say the presence of former police officers within the ranks of the Ottawa protesters is giving them a tactical edge over local law enforcement. 3:22<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n

An initial sign of the cross-border spillover came Monday night<\/u><\/a> as trucks were blocked on both sides of the Windsor-Detroit Ambassador Bridge, the most important Canada-U.S. trade link.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are now pandemic-related truck convoys planned in all 27 European capitals<\/u><\/a>, New Zealand<\/u><\/a> and elsewhere in the U.S., as right-wing American social media channels buzz with chatter of convoys to Washington.<\/p>\n

One Fox News prime-time host after another has devoted segments to trashing<\/u><\/a> Canada’s prime minister and toasting the convoy<\/u><\/a> as a cause c\u00e9l\u00e8bre.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Consider this the globalization of right-wing protest. And in this particular trade, Canada now finds itself in the import-export business.<\/p>\n

Similar U.S. actions inevitable: experts<\/h2>\n

We’ve imported language and money for the event from Americans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Much of the protest lingo in Ottawa appears copied and pasted from the U.S. political vocabulary, with participants referring to themselves as “patriots” and “We the People<\/u><\/a>” who “hold the line<\/u><\/a>” \u2014 and international donations have flowed in.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Ottawa protest has gained the notice of many right-wing figures in the U.S., from ex-president Donald Trump to Fox News host Tucker Carlson. (Justin Tang\/The Canadian Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/span> <\/p>\n

Now, Canada is exporting its product back to the world. Some people who monitor right-wing online chatter say similar events in the U.S. are inevitable.<\/p>\n

Tens of thousands of people have joined groups dedicated to starting international convoy protests on the social media site Telegram alone.<\/p>\n

The copycat idea<\/u><\/a> is being promoted by activists<\/u><\/a> and commentators<\/u><\/a> not just on the far right but by big voices, including the biggest one at Fox News.<\/p>\n

Tucker Carlson told his prime-time audience this week that trends usually start in the U.S. and move north to Canada: “But this time, the opposite could happen.”<\/p>\n

One former Trump administration official has been active on both sides of the border during the pandemic. Paul Alexander, a Canadian with a brief but controversial<\/a> stint as a COVID adviser to the ex-president, has been<\/a> involved in<\/a> the Ottawa protest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There’s still no date or defined plan beyond vague talk of a convoy from California to Washington, D.C. But a researcher at the Atlantic Council think-tank in Washington predicted<\/u><\/a> these protests will spread.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A researcher of far-right social media agrees the U.S. should brace for these events.<\/p>\n

“I think it’s a ‘when’ and not an ‘if,'” said Sara Aniano, a grad student who researches at Monmouth University in New Jersey. “I would be shocked if they didn’t at least try [in the U.S.].”\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Every year, the Super Bowl inspires some collage of conspiracy theories on the far-right, often rooted in paranoia about the halftime show being Satanic. But this year has the added layer of anti-mandate truckers, who some are hoping will “shut down” the Super Bowl altogether. a href=”https:\/\/t.co\/iiFaMUD4F0″pic.twitter.com\/iiFaMUD4F0\/a<\/p>\n

mdash;@coolfacejane<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/span> <\/p>\n

What’s already clear is that this phenomenon has generated something cherished in America’s political industry: funding. It’s a money-making machine.<\/p>\n

The Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo said Canada’s convoy instantly smashed its record for most donations ever, garnering more than $7 million since the weekend after an even larger funding effort on GoFundMe was shut down.<\/p>\n

GiveSendGo said the money is streaming into Canada from everywhere: “An overwhelming outpouring of support from across the globe,” is how the company described it.<\/p>\n

‘Go truckers, go Canadians’<\/h2>\n

Indeed, some of the biggest donations listed on the site include thousands attributed to American names and businesses.<\/p>\n

The enthusiasm for the phenomenon was evident at a Donald Trump rally in Texas last month, where the ex-president’s most ardent supporters gushed support.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Trucks are seen parked in downtown Ottawa on Feb. 2. (Christian Milette\/CBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/span> <\/p>\n

This included one man selling flags at the rally, who was himself draped in several flags, including the Confederate battle flag.<\/p>\n

“Go truckers, go Canadians,” said Jeff Brown of Portland, Ore., a Trump supporter who sells the flags at rallies. “Stand up! We’ll come across the border and try to bitch-slap anybody that tries to hurt you guys. We’ve had enough.”<\/p>\n

In an interview, another woman shared her potpourri of conspiracy theories, with a strong scent of QAnon and infused with bits of Canadiana.<\/p>\n

In the worldview of Becky Barnes from Dallas, Donald Trump is still president (he isn’t \u2014 he lost by seven million votes and came up short in a half-dozen swing states); John F. Kennedy Jr. is secretly vice-president (he died in 1999); and Canada’s true head of state lives in Victoria, B.C. (the person in question is a QAnon-peddling imposter who spouts\u00a0violent rhetoric<\/u><\/a>).<\/p>\n

Barnes said the world is praying for revolts like the one in Canada.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Becky Barnes, who was interviewed at a Trump rally in Texas in late January, insists Trump is still president and fully supports the vaccine mandate protesters in Ottawa. (CBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/span> <\/p>\n

Christine Babbino of Bethlehem, Penn., who was also at the Trump event, offered a more practical rationale for supporting the Canadian protests.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Babbino, who works in logistics, said the cost of transporting goods is going up, and she blames pandemic rules for contributing to it.<\/p>\n

“Canada needs to stand up,” Babbino said.<\/p>\n

‘I think they’re emboldened’<\/h2>\n

Regina Bateson has a unique perspective on the cross-border politics at play. She’s from the U.S., ran for Congress<\/u><\/a> as a Democrat and now lives in Ottawa.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She’s also an academic<\/u><\/a> who researches political violence and says the standoff will end in one of three ways: a negotiated settlement, which she said appears increasingly unlikely; a violent incident that provokes a police crackdown; or a clash with local residents.<\/p>\n

But she made a longer-term prediction: That the group in Ottawa will remain a presence in Canadian political life, as its members spend weeks together, establishing new connections and developing their network of like-minded people.<\/p>\n

“I think they’re emboldened, empowered,” said Bateson, a professor at the University of Ottawa.<\/p>\n

“They’re moving faster than institutions and political leaders can keep up with. And they’re here to stay.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

WATCH | Ottawa protests draws interest south of the border:<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anti-COVID-19 restriction protests in Ottawa are front and centre of the U.S. culture wars, with right-wing media and politicians voicing their support. The response has helped a new online fundraiser raise millions of dollars in a few days. 1:59<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n

Another surprise phenomenon, she said, is the tsunami of cash flooding into a Canadian political cause.<\/p>\n

She said big-money politics is a fact of life in the U.S., with a vast ecosystem of groups on the left and right that thrive on polarizing debates that get people clicking and donating cash.<\/p>\n

Bateson related her surprise after moving to Canada and seeing how few political ads there were during the last federal election.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, she said this protest has generated as much money in just a few days as a major Canadian political party<\/u><\/a> receives in donations over several months.<\/p>\n

Tracing sources of funds difficult<\/h2>\n

American awareness of the event was building in January and it surged, she said, after Trump got involved with a speech and then a statement where the defeated president supported the convoy and referred to Trudeau as “a far-left lunatic.”<\/p>\n

“[When that happened] I thought, oh boy, here we go. I knew that was going to set in motion a series of events, perhaps unlike Canada has ever seen,” Bateson said. “Now it’s on Fox News, Breitbart. It’s a top story on most of these [U.S.] platforms by this point.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

It’s become a top-of-mind cause for ambitious Republican politicians, a prime<\/u><\/a> issue for candidates<\/u><\/a> in Republican primaries in this year’s midterm elections and future<\/u><\/a> and past<\/u><\/a> presidential aspirants are talking about it.<\/p>\n

Attorneys-general in several states are promising<\/u><\/a> investigations into GoFundMe, the crowdsourcing site that shut down an earlier convoy fundraising campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n

WATCH |\u00a0American conservatives are helping fund Ottawa protests:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Conservatives in the U.S., including right-wing media and high-profile Republicans, are vocalizing their support for the Canadian convoy and donating money. They’re not pleased that GoFundMe has cut off the convoy\u2019s fundraising efforts. 2:18<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n

So what does Canadian law say about foreign donations to a political cause that police accuse<\/u><\/a> of unlawful behaviour? Not much, it appears.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leah West, a national security lawyer<\/u><\/a> and Carleton University professor, says it’s highly unlikely<\/u><\/a> such donations violate any criminal laws.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elections Canada says foreign funds can’t be used in official election campaigns, or for partisan advertising.<\/p>\n

It’s hard to know where the money even comes from.<\/p>\n

Members of Parliament intend<\/u><\/a> to have the original crowdfunding company, GoFundMe, testify before the Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.<\/p>\n

But Jessica Davis, a former federal official<\/u><\/a> in financial intelligence, said there are no rules requiring foreign donors to a crowdfunding site to disclose their real identity.<\/p>\n

“We have no idea [who they are],” she said. “There’s literally no identity verification.”<\/p>\n

\u2014 With files from Katie Simpson<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Article source: https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/ottawa-truck-protest-convoy-us-1.6343784?cmp=rss<\/a>\r\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A heated exchange unfolded in Washington a few days ago over a phenomenon not typically known for eliciting passions there. The topic was a culture-war battle. In Canada.\u00a0 In the U.S. Congress, members laced into each other in a debate about the protest in Ottawa and the broader question of vaccine mandates. A Texas Republican […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[84],"class_list":["post-293018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-political","tag-political"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293018\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}