Canada truckers protest: Injunction granted to stop horn honking

Truckers in Ottawa have been ordered to stop honking their horns in a long-running protest that has paralysed the capital.

The loud and constant blare of truck horns has become one of the defining features of the movement against Canada’s vaccine mandates.

But a judge has now ruled that they be silenced for the next 10 days.

“Tooting a horn is not an expression of any great thought I’m aware of,” said Justice McLean in Monday’s ruling which handed an interim victory to residents.

The presence of hundreds of trucks and their noisy honking had prompted anger among local people and business owners.

The Freedom Convoy protest has spread to several cities and was formed against rules that truckers must be vaccinated to cross the US border.

But it’s now opposed to all kinds of mandates – in parts of Canada you need to show you’re vaccinated to enter indoor venues like restaurants, gyms and bars.

On Monday morning several of them told the BBC they will stay until their demands are met.

Most of the demonstrators are doing so peacefully but there have been reports of harassment and some have used Nazi slogans to make their point.

A week ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said they were an “insult to truth and memory”.

“Canada has never been stronger. We see a united people that have come together,” said Rand Freeman, a 33-year veteran of the Canadian military told the BBC.

“We know that throughout history, first they ignore you, then they ridicule and mock you, then they attack you, and then you win. We’re entering the attack phase”.

Mr Freeman said he was unconcerned by police warnings that those bringing fuel to protesters in a “red zone” in Ottawa’s downtown could be arrested.

“They need to give the illusion that they’ve won,” he added. “But they know they’ve let that genie out of the bottle and can’t get that genie back in.”

Trucker Lloyd Brubacher placed the blame on the ongoing protesters squarely on the shoulders of Mr Trudeau and the Canadian government.

“If he dropped all the mandates, all the truckers would go home as fast as we came,” he said. “Ottawa would be an open city.”

Mr Brubacher said he was supporting the protests because he fears his nine-year-old son would grow up “not having the right to choose for his freedom and his rights”.

“All I want is the right to choose between getting the vax or not getting the vax,” he said.

Police said they had made seven arrests and seized “multiple” vehicles of fuel, with 60 criminal investigations so far opened in relation to the protests.

Many Ottawa residents say that their patience with the protests has been wearing thin and have voiced frustration with the way it is impacting their daily lives.

Among the complaints have been traffic blocked by trucks, city parks taken over by makeshift campsites and wooden structures and disruptions to businesses, as well as fears of harassment.

“Carrying the protest on in the manner it has been, by blocking businesses from operating and earning an income, is unfair to the citizens of Ottawa,” said Stuart, a downtown chef who declined to give his name for fear of “extremists” among the protesters.

Additionally, Stuart said that he feels that workers and residents in the city’s downtown core are “being punished twice” by the twin impact of the pandemic and the Freedom Convoy.

“If the protest carries on, it will only hurt hard working-class residents of Ottawa,” he added.

Vita Sgardello, a Ottawa resident who works at a non-profit, said that a climate of fear has swept over parts of the city.

“People I know have been attacked with racist slurs,” she told the BBC.

One protester became aggressive telling her colleague to remove their mask, she said. “She had to run away for her safety”.

A poll released by Abacus Data at the end of last week found that 68% of Canadians felt they had “very little in common” with the protesters, compared to 32% that said they had “a lot in common” with the truckers.

Responding to growing unease from residents, last week Ottawa police announced a new “surge and contain” strategy that saw approximately 150 officers deployed to the city’s centre, as well as a “red zone” of police barricades and a vow to investigate and charge those found violating the law.

By Sunday, police had announced that seven arrests had been made, including three for mischief and one for driving while prohibited.

Additionally, over 550 tickets have so far been issued for offences including excessive noise, using fireworks, stunt driving and traffic violations.

“Demonstrators exhibited extremely disruptive and unlawful behaviour,” police said in a statement on Sunday. “We continue to advise demonstrators not to enter Ottawa, and to go home”.

Following police reports of violence last week, GoFundMe announced it would withhold millions of dollars raised for the protesting truckers and asked that donors fill out a request form to receive a refund.

On Monday, however, the crowdfunding platform reversed course and said that “due to donor feedback”, it will automatically refund all contributions directly within seven to 10 business days.

By Rachel Schraer, BBC health and disinformation reporter

It’s a pattern we’ve seen repeated through the pandemic.

Protests frequently bring people together around points of legitimate political debate – how tough or long Covid restrictions should be or whether vaccination should be mandatory.

Scratch the surface, though, and you can quickly find more extreme views and misinformation like that shared by the convoy’s organisers.

Videos from 2019 show organiser Pat King discussing a plot for a “depopulation of the Caucasian race… the ones with the strongest bloodlines”.

Meanwhile, online groups with tens of thousands of followers shared posts criticising the police’s handling of the convoy alongside false claims the Covid vaccine was “poison” and a fake report that New Zealand was planning to introduce the vaccine to its water supply.

People joining groups in sympathy with truckers’ stated grievances, for example against vaccine mandates, can quickly find themselves exposed to these more fringe or misleading sources of information.