Democracy tested by trucker protests
By the standards of mass protests around the world, the “Freedom Convoy” snarling downtown Ottawa ranks as a nuisance. The number of protesters, about 8,000 at their peak, is modest; there have been no serious injuries or altercations, the truckers stopped blaring their horns after residents got a temporary court injunction against them, and most Canadians don’t support the truckers or their cause. Yet what’s happening in Canada deserves close attention around the world.
In our polarized political environment, the Canadian truckers became an instant cause célèbre. Donations poured in, prompting GoFundMe to pull the plug on the campaign under a policy that “prohibits the promotion of violence and harassment,” a void that was quickly filled by rightwing crowdfunding platforms. Copycat convoys have appeared as far afield as Australia and New Zealand.
Inevitably, a chorus of cheers arose from south of the border, led by Donald Trump’s declaration that “the Freedom Convoy is peacefully protesting the harsh policies of far-left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane COVID mandates,” referring to the prime minister. Sen. Ted Cruz called the Canadian truckers “heroes”; Elon Musk tweeted, “Canadian truckers rule”; Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested that the “corporate Communists” at GoFundMe should be arrested.
The raucous images from Canada, a country widely regarded as a model of calm, tolerance and reason, demonstrate the worrisome degree to which covid-19 mandates and other regulations have become a potent, and perhaps lasting symbol, for the far right of what they see as governmental assaults on their “freedoms.” The Canadian truckers launched their convoy in late January to protest the requirement that those crossing the Canadian-U.S. border must be vaccinated to avoid a 14-day quarantine. Only about a tenth of cross-border drivers are not vaccinated, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance, which disavowed the protest. (And 86% of Canadians as a whole have received at least one shot.) A survey by the market research firm Leger found that 65% of Canadians believe the Freedom Convoy represents only a “small minority of selfish Canadians.”
As the big rigs brought traffic to a crawl in the Canadian capital and began blaring their horns, Canadians who do not share their grievances began to call for an end to the protests. The Ottawa police chief called it a “siege,” the Ontario premier said it was an “occupation,” the Ottawa mayor declared a state of emergency, and on Monday, Trudeau angrily told Parliament that the protests have to stop. He went as far as to say the protesters are “trying to blockade our economy, our democracy and our fellow citizens’ daily lives.”
We disagree with the protesters’ cause, but they have a right to be noisy and disruptive. Protests are a necessary form of expression in a democratic society, particularly for those whose opinions do not command popular support. Governments have a responsibility to prevent violence by protesters, but they must be willing to accept some degree of disruption. The challenge for public officials — the same one faced by cities in 2020 during the protests after the murder of George Floyd — is to maintain a balance between public health and safety and a functioning society, with the right to free expression. Entertaining the use of force to disperse or contain legal protests is wrong.
The Canadian truckers’ success in turning coronavirus restrictions into a rallying cry for the disaffected is what makes the Ottawa protest significant.
These nascent efforts pose a challenge for Trudeau, President Joe Biden and every other leader searching for ways to restore a degree of normalcy while maintaining defenses against a disease that still fills hospitals and kills in large numbers. Effective leadership in this stage of the pandemic means finding ways to confront the frustrations and legitimate protests engendered by the pandemic without stoking more strife, compromising the rule of law or succumbing to unreasonable demands. Allowing nonviolent, even if disruptive, protest is an important tool for maintaining social cohesion in a polarized society.