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Elon Musk tweeted in favour of Canadian truckers as a convoy heads to Ottawa to protest COVID regulations across the country.
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The Tesla and SpaceX CEO was seemingly throwing his support behind the protesters in a tweet Thursday afternoon.
“Canadian truckers rule,” tweeted Musk, who was born to a Canadian mother. He holds citizenship with United States, Canada and South Africa.
A convoy of truckers and others opposed to public health restrictions is on its way from British Columbia to Parliament Hill for a “freedom rally” this weekend against mandatory vaccinations in Canada. Police in Ottawa have said they are planning for as many as 2,000 demonstrators.
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The federal government ended truckers’ exemption to the vaccine mandate on Jan. 15, meaning Canadian truck drivers need to be fully vaccinated if they want to avoid a two-week quarantine when they cross into Canada from the United States.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called the protesters a “small fringe minority who are on the way to Ottawa who are holding unacceptable views.”
In his later tweets, Musk appears to show support for repealing vaccine mandates. He sent a thumbs up emoji to a tweet alleging Denmark is planning to “stop all measures Jan. 31,” in reference to COVID vaccinations. In another he sent a supportive ‘100’ emoji to a doctor and fitness guru who wrote that he was in favour of COVID vaccines but not mandates requiring them.
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Ottawa police Chief Peter Sloly told a police services board meeting Wednesday that officers had been in contact with protest leaders, whom he said have been co-operative and have shared their plans. However, concerns have also been raised that far-right extremist groups have attached themselves to the convoy and could spark violence.
While an itinerary hasn’t been released to the public, Jason LaFlace, an organizer who previously planned events and protests for a group called No More Lockdowns, said organizers have arranged speakers — including politicians, truckers and Indigenous elders — and a stage will be set up in an undisclosed park on Monday. There will be events every day until Ottawa exempts them again.
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A “memorandum of understanding,” posted on the Canada Unity website, says its coalition is opposed to restrictions and mandates related to COVID-19, rules it deems are “unconstitutional, discriminatory and segregating.”
The memorandum says, it says, is to coordinate efforts to form a committee with the Senate and Governor General to override all levels of Canadian government, and if they refuse to join, the group says they should “resign their lawful positions of authority immediately.”
Donald Trump Jr. also took to social media Tuesday to endorse the Canadian truck convoy’s fight against “tyranny” and to urge Americans to follow suit.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance has estimated that about 15 per cent of truckers — as many as 16,000 — are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. It has strongly denounced any protests on public roadways, highways and bridges and has urged all truckers to get inoculated.
A spokesperson for Musk could not immediately be reached for comment.
— With additional reporting by The Canadian Press and Rachel Parent