Protestors and supporters set up at a blockade at the foot of the Ambassador Bridge, sealing off the flow of commercial traffic over the bridge into Windsor from Detroit, on Feb. 10, 2022.
Protestors and supporters set up at a blockade at the foot of the Ambassador Bridge, sealing off the flow of commercial traffic over the bridge into Windsor from Detroit, on Feb. 10, 2022.
WASHINGTON—Suddenly, the so-called “Freedom Convoy” isn’t just Justin Trudeau’s problem, as some of his opponents wished it to be. Not even just Canada’s problem. It’s gone international — with France and Belgium outlawing similar tactics and New Zealand moving to swiftly shut down a Canadian-inspired protest there. It became clear Thursday that U.S. officials view it as a budding problem, too, as they sounded alarms about the threat of copycat protests in the U.S., and about the economic damage already being done at the border.
It was reported Thursday that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has circulated a bulletin to its staff warning of similar potential protests in the U.S. — possibly disrupting the Super Bowl and President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address — that could “severely disrupt transportation, federal government operations, commercial facilities, and emergency services through gridlock and potential counterprotests.” Meanwhile, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the closure of the Ambassador Bridge by protesters “unacceptable” as it “is hitting paycheques and production lines” and called for its immediate reopening. A White House official speaking on background to the Star Thursday made clear the administration views the border blockades as a pressing economic threat, and the administration is “working around the clock” with Canadian governments to bring the situation to “a swift end.”
Earlier this week, I wrote of how the American political right — from Republican elected officials to Fox News hosts to far-right online agitators — has greeted the protest news from Canada in a celebratory fashion, and hinted at drawing inspiration from how effectively a small group of protesters has disrupted the country’s business while demanding the unconstitutional overthrow of the Trudeau government.
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The memo from Homeland Security makes clear that some Americans are inspired by events north of the border. First reported by Yahoo News, the memo outlines information about a potential truck convoy protest beginning soon in Los Angeles, before heading across the country to Washington, D.C. The bulletin indicates there has been no indication of violent intent, but the potential for disruption is high.
A Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed to the Star that the department is tracking information about a potential convoy and is “working closely with our federal, state, and local partners to continuously assess the threat environment and keep our communities safe.” The spokesperson added that the department dedicates 500 officers to helping secure the Super Bowl.
The potential for copycat protests will surprise few who track the American right closely. Caroline Orr Bueno, a post-doctoral behavioural scientist affiliated with the University of Maryland who has studied far-right extremism and social media in Canada and the U.S., said she expected to see some attempts to duplicate the tactics of the Canadian protesters. “I think it is accurate to look at it as a global movement with different unofficial chapters in each country,” she said. “They’re watching each other, and learning from each other.”
Orr Bueno says the loosely affiliated movement across borders, is powered by social media and has adopted various causes such as anti-vaccine sentiment as a “smokescreen” to broaden support for an essentially nationalist, anti-government ideology with undercurrents of racism and hate.
(On a related note, Homeland Security’s National Terrorism Advisory System posted a public bulletin this week about a “heightened threat environment” for extremist attacks in the U.S. caused in part by “online proliferation of false or misleading narratives regarding unsubstantiated widespread election fraud and COVID-19.”)
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Regarding U.S. convoys, Orr Bueno was skeptical of how directly the success of the Canadian protesters would translate to American locations, primarily because she thinks American police and security forces would be more aggressive in shutting it down. “I don’t think what is going on (in Ottawa) would be able to happen here in the same way. I do think there will be some attempt to do something that might translate better here,” she said. “I think the idea of shutting down either major cities or major parts of the supply chain has an appeal to several factions of the right, including a lot of the mainstream right. Because I think they’d like to do that to see the economy take the hit, because Biden would be the one blamed for it.”
Even before any U.S. convoys, clearly the economic hit caused by the blockades of the Ambassador Bridge border crossing — which accounts for more than a quarter of all trade between the two countries — is already being felt. In response to the backlogs of trucks delayed in crossing, at least six automotive production plants have cancelled shifts, and a report in the Guardian cited an industry group estimate that the border delays could cost businesses $50 million a day.
On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jenn Psaki said in a briefing, “I think it’s important for everyone in Canada and the United States to understand what the impact of this blockage is — potential impact on workers, on the supply chain.”
A White House Official speaking on background Thursday said senior administration officials and members of the cabinet, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, had been meeting with their Canadian counterparts earlier in the day “urging them to use federal powers to resolve this situation at our joint border and offering the full support of our Homeland Security and Transportation departments.” In the meantime, U.S. and Canadian border officials are working together to reroute traffic to other crossings and minimize the impact of the obstruction.
