Vowing to remain stationed at the U.S.-Canada border, truckers with the so-called “Freedom Convoy” were captured on video Monday reciting the Lord’s Prayer as they gathered inside a nearby restaurant.
The prayer came amid tension between Canadian law enforcement officers and truck drivers protesting stringent government mandates requiring unvaccinated truckers commit to two weeks of isolation as well as produce negative COVID-19 tests before being allowed to re-enter Canada. Similar mandates have been put in place by President Joe Biden.
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Truckers agreed to open up one lane of traffic, allowing residents, school bus drivers, and emergency personnel to pass through, according to Rebel News, whose reporters are on the ground in Coutts, Alberta, at the border.
At some point during the decision-making process, some of the truckers thought it wise to pray:
Alberta Premier Jason Kennedy condemned the truckers, tweeting Monday that their protest “is causing significant inconvenience for lawful motorists and could dangerously impede movement of emergency service vehicles.”
He asserted the truckers are in violation of the province’s Critical Infrastructure Defense Act. As such, violators can be subject to a minimum fine of $1,000 and a maximum of $25,000, plus up to six months in jail and a fine of $10,000 to $200,000 for corporations who run afoul of the legislation, according to CTV News.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating, condemned the “Freedom Convoy” as an unacceptable protest whose supporters are touting “hateful rhetoric” and espousing “violence toward fellow citizens.” It’s worth noting that, so far, there has been no reported violence linked to the convoy.
Trudeau said he has supported protests and rallies in the past, when he “agreed with the goals,” citing the Black Lives Matter movement as an example of a cause with which he agrees. The prime minister does not, though, support the truckers whom, just days ago, he said are a “fringe minority” of people who hold “unacceptable views” about government overreach, Global News reported.
As of Monday evening, truckers are negotiating with Royal Canadian Mounted Police to determine how to best and most safely continue the demonstration at the U.S.-Canada border in Alberta.
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