We are not ISIS – Freedom Convoy supporter to RT
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is just “projecting” when he claims everyone in the protest is some kind of racist bigot, Chris Mayville, one of the people supporting the movement against Covid jab mandates, told RT on Monday. There was no shortage of officials accusing the protesters of holding all sort of hateful beliefs, while some media even depicted them as “domestic terrorists.”
Trudeau accused protesters of doing what his government had done to them with its coronavirus policies, the activist argued.
“We've had our economy crushed for the last two years. So much damage has already been done. What was done at the bridge was a statement,” the activist said. “It was a drop in the bucket compared to what the governments have done to us over the last two years.”
The activist was commenting on the narrative that many Canadian officials and media outlets have adopted, painting the Freedom Convoy as dangerous right-wingers. Speaking during a parliament debate earlier this month, Trudeau said the protesters were “trying to blockade our economy, our democracy and our fellow citizens’ daily lives.”
Last weekend, Canadian police took action to unblock the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit, Michigan with Windsor, Ontario. The key shipping route between the US and its northern neighbor was closed for a week before law enforcement moved the protesters aside.
Windsor Police Service Chief Pam Mizuno expressed her gratitude for the peaceful resolution to the deadlock. Officers made some 25-30 arrests and towed away about a dozen vehicles that were placed by protesters in the way of traffic, but no violence was reported.
Mayville, who was present on the bridge, confirmed that the police went to great lengths to resolve the situation in the best possible way. “They could have crushed us, and they chose not to. Everything they did was to find the most peaceful resolution, and I think they've achieved it,” he said.
More importantly, it shows the fallacy of the narrative about all freedom protesters being dangerous radicals, he implied.
It was a loving event. People were bringing their families, and they were not using them as shields. This wasn't ISIS or Al Qaeda launching rockets from a school.
Personally, Mayville has much pride in Canada's record of promoting equality and tolerance. The province of Ontario, where he resides, is home to a historic site called Uncle Tom's Cabin, which served as an end destination for the underground railroad. Some 30,000 black people escaped slavery in the US and fled to Canada. That promise of freedom is what drives him to protest, he said.
“I am not going to forsake this [legacy] because we have a bunch of privileged individuals who know nothing but freedom and good times and are willing to sacrifice their children and everyone else's children and their futures because it's uncomfortable to them,” he explained.
Mayville says that he and others will continue to stand up for what they believe in.
“They are brothers and sisters. We don't want any trouble with them. I know they are in a hard place.” he said. “But we are going to continue to fight, I am sorry to say. This is going to happen.”
