One of the people behind the American Freedom Convoy revealed to Fox News on Monday that the truckers are planning to besiege the US capital, squeezing it like a “boa constrictor.”
Bob Bolus said the protesters’ main gripe was vaccine mandates, and to make the US government ditch those, the Convoy planned to “circle Washington DC” much like a “giant boa constrictor,” which, as he put it, “squeezes you, chokes you, and then swallows you.” The activist went on to warn “that’s what we’re going to do to DC.”
Apparently, the truckers, who dubbed their movement the ‘Great American Patriot Project’, are aiming for the Capital Beltway that surrounds Washington.
Responding to concerns voiced by Fox News journalist Lindsay Watts that the protest could interfere with the lives of ordinary people, or even potentially endanger human life by blocking emergency vehicles, Bolus said the truckers would leave one lane clear for emergency services. He stressed that the Freedom Convoy would not “compromise anybody’s safety or health one way or the other.”
Watts claimed in a tweet that the DC Department of Motor Vehicles law enforcement division had difficulty finding towing companies willing to remove trucks taking part in the convoy.
The arrival of the truckers could coincide with Joe Biden’s State of the Union address to Congress on March 1.
Last Friday, Capitol Police said local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies along with the District of Columbia National Guard were aware of the protesters’ plans, and were coordinating their efforts.
According to multiple media reports, authorities are planning to erect fencing around Congress to prevent any security breaches during Biden’s speech. On top of that, Washington, DC police have reportedly prohibited officers from taking leave or days off this week.
The Great American Patriot Project is composed of several grassroots groups from across the country, with hundreds of trucks heading for the US capital. The truckers have been inspired by the Freedom Convoy protest in Canada, where activists had been blocking downtown Ottawa with their vehicles for three weeks, before police dispersed the gathering using force and arresting around 170 protesters.