Last week was truly a horrible week. Robin Sears writes:
It feels like something broke in Canada this week. The nation that has always been a little too smug about its values of civility and respect seemed to have disappeared, replaced by what looked far more American than Canadian.
If you had told me protesters in the national capital would leave their feces at residents’ front doors; that drunken protesters would urinate on sidewalks from atop their trucks; that in Alberta a protester would deliberately try to run down an RCMP officer, my response would simply have been, “No, not in Canada.” I now live in a city under siege, with the police apparently paralyzed to remove this infestation that has invaded Ottawa’s neighbourhoods.
I was astonished by two sidebar stories in our very unpleasant week. The first was the number of young students from the University of Ottawa and Carleton I saw out in their schools’ regalia, joining the demonstrations with singing, flag-waving and drinking as if they were attending a homecoming event. The second surprising groups were the number of older Ottawans who would tell anyone who asked that they were triple vaxxed, but still supported the demonstration because it was “Time for the government to give back our lives!” That each group was blinkered to the threatening insults hurled at the masked, along with the obscene slogans and swastikas, was jaw-dropping.
In both Ottawa and Alberta, operations to end the illegal blockades and occupations would have begun by now if the demonstrators were predominantly Indigenous or Black people. The blatant double standard of hundreds of white men not even receiving parking tickets is something that will need to be explained when this is over.
Sears suggests that it may take a military intervention to end this. That will be tricky and dangerous. One thing is certain: The more deadly virus is ignorance. It mutates every day -- with new variants threatening the civic health of the nation.
Image: The Toronto Star
19 comments:
Sorry, this goes beyond white privilege. The only thing that explains the almost total inaction of the Ottawa police is complicity. There are ample photos on social media of cops, including a sergeant, posing with protesters and holding their signs.
The army is being considered because the police won't enforce the law. Since policing is a provincial matter, Doug Ford should be asked what he's going to do about the breakdown in law and order. At the very least, the police chief needs to be replaced with someone ready to do the job.
Cap
I read Robin Sears today with some dismay, Owen, but I couldn't disagree with his sentiments. I can't remember a time when I have felt more discouraged about the direction we are heading. What bothers me most is the uncritical acceptance by so many of the wild proclamations being made.
The Peterbuilt-peckerheads do not have much support from the general public or the trucking business in general. The vast number of drivers are vaccinated and working and want Western Star Whiners to stop giving the industry a bad name. The lack of support can be seen in every photograph. Most of the vehicles are not trucks because truckers are maintaining our supply lines.
Counter protests are more visible all the time. The best example is the bicycle brigade in Vancouver who stopped the Mack Maniacs.
The International Insurrectionists will neither gain nor lose support . Peter peckerwood and Mad max may see some shifts but the total reformatory support will not change much. Most people never liked the far right and this won't change that fact.
When the law is enforced selectively, Cap, there is no law at all.
My mood is getting darker, Lorne. As I wrote in a response to the salamander, I'm beginning to think that we're too stupid to survive.
I sincerely hope your analysis is right, rumley.
I agree with Robin about this absolutely horrible week, which will likely be surpassed in the weeks ahead. I do wish the media would properly frame these occupations as pro-covid rallies, rallies that promote the prolonging of an already prolonged pandemic. My sense is though that the majority of vaccinated Canadians are getting very tired of all of this. Beyond covid, there is a greater, more sinister message in all of this- it is an attempt to signal upcoming and more aggressive attempts at destabilizing the nation- much the way that has been a tremendous success in the United States BC Waterboy
The point of these actions is not as clear as people think. A Toronto Star article asks Is the ‘Freedom convoy’ already getting what it says it wants?. These so-called mandates have never been enforced and the end of restrictions have already been announced in many provinces. The average dim-witted protester may think this is about vaccine and health regulations but it probably isn't. The students and tourist protesters think they are going to a party but there are some people with brains behind this who are after more than fighting for what has already been achieved. What that might be is unknown at this point.
Anyway I went to the doctors' counter protest yesterday and it wasn't half as dangerous as I thought it might be. We were totally separated from the yob mob. The doctors are furious about being told by "hospital authorities" not to wear anything that would indicate they are hospital workers on the street for fear of being attacked. Actually this is a lot like telling women not to wear short skirts for fear of assault. Are we going to start blaming a doctor wearing a hospital badge on the street for his own assault? Anyway these doctors have clout and I think the police know that if anything happens to Hospital Row there will be hell to pay.
By the way these events are superspreaders. The virus seems to have been forgotten in all the excitement but it is still with us.
We are seeing an invasion of US ideology.
TB
I agree, waterboy. This is about blowing things up.
Stupid people never understand how they make things worse, ffd. But they do wonder how that happened.
The flag in today's picture indicates that the American Disease has crossed the border, TB.
FYI
Calgary had the greatest concentration of American x-patriots in the world and may still have.
The Alberta -Texas oil connection was huge. STEVIE harpers riding was estimated that 1 in ten voters was of American origin or dual citizenship. Dual flags are a tourist given, seen outside of almost everywhere, currently outside our museum . Highway 2 north , now the QEII is Alaska's land connection to the lower 48. Remember the exemption for covid restrictions on Alaskans/ military? They toured Alberta for months as they went directly home. A large percentage of local landowners arrived here after a generation or two of being American leaving relations on both sides.
personally
It would be the trump 2024 that I would worry about.
Alberta has always felt a lot like Texas, lungta -- although Albertans are better when it comes to winter driving.
Bares repeating.
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1241195075951
TB
I agree, TB.
It's been a great week! The Working class has finally had enough of Totalarianism!
The protest is peaceful, the protesters cleaned up the momunents, polishing them even. They kicked out the Nazis, it's why you don't see any in current coverage. Majority of Canadians are fed up with oppression!
It started in Canada, it hasn't even hit the US yet, this is by Canadians for Canadians. Americans are planning to copy the Freedom Convoy, which is awrsome, as are many countries but this is 100% Canadian idea. So no, not an invasion of US idealogy, simply Canadians sick of being shit on by Liberal and Conseritive governments, a geniune workers revolt.
You have sadly misread what is going on, Gyor. These people are angry. But they're more than angry. They want to blow things. The vast majority of truckers -- and Canadians -- are not on your side. What will you do?
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