Waving Canadian flags and holding up signs, some reading “Freedom No Lockdowns No Passports” and “No mandate,” a few hundred supporters lined Highway 97 Saturday Feb. 5 in Williams Lake.
The rally was the second in as many weeks to “show support for the truckers and freedom,” according to posters circulating on social media.
Unlike the first rally, which had a large presence of truckers in support of the Freedom Convoy to Ottawa, this latest event was mostly made up of passenger vehicles, with families of all ages turning out to wave flags, honk their horns and visit with one another.
The rally began at 11 a.m., and wrapped up at noon with a “slow roll” down Oliver Street, onto Mackenzie Avenue and back onto Highway 97. Participants were situated along Highway 97 and along South Broadway Avenue, with music playing and motorists, including truckers, honking in support as they drove by.
Organizers said they were thrilled with the turn out and said they planned to rally every Saturday until the vaccine mandates are lifted. Supporters in the crowd said they didn’t agree with public health restrictions that impact citizens’ movements and ability to work.
The rally was peaceful and did not disrupt traffic, although a young moose did briefly create quite a stir when it crossed Highway 97 between the participants at the rally. Police were not visible at the rally.
This week, the First Nations Leadership Council issued a news release strongly condemning “the Freedom Convoy movement across Canada and its spread of misinformation, racism, and violence.”
“These protests are fueling misinformation about public health mandates and the importance of vaccination. This misinformation has led to vaccine hesitancy, and many deaths,” said Regional Chief Terry Teegee of the BC Assembly of First Nations. “Public health mandates utilize inconvenience to spur higher vaccination rates, but, being inconvenienced is not the same as having your Charter Rights violated. We commend the 90 per cent of truckers who are vaccinated, especially given that their jobs put them in contact with many people.”
The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) is calling on leaders and citizens to stop supporting those messages.
A much smaller third rally was held at the same location along Highway 97 in Williams Lake Feb. 12.
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