At a press conference hosted by organizers of the trucker freedom convoy GoFundMe, @Tamara_MVC and @BJdichter. Only independent journalists were invited.
Dichter says this is going to be a “lengthy” protest, notes private support by a lot of police officers.
Yesterday was “just an amazing day,” Dichter says.
Dichter says convoy shows we have a Canadian identity, all of whose cultures united yesterday for freedom. Says we’re all one big family.
Dichter says press conference will run until there are no more questions. No time caps.
Dichter takes aim at media reports that GoFundMe had frozen funds. Completely false, he says.
Dichter says truckers who weren’t able to get into Ottawa last night are coming back into the core in small groups.
How long will this go, @TheRealKeean asks. Dichter: As long as it takes (notes days are getting longer and weather will get warmer.)
On GoFundMe: Tamara Lich says the $8 million is still going to be used for fuel, food, lodging for truckers continuing the protest (as noted in previous tweets, organizers anticipate this will last a while.)
Dichter notes organizers are not taking any of the funds but says some truckers may be compensated for lost wages from being unable to work (yet to be determined).
Asked to comment on lack of violence despite Jan. 6 narrative in week ahead, Dichter takes aim at “fake news media.”
Lich is asked about PPC and Maxime Bernier: She stresses the convoy is non-partisan. It’s for Canadians, not political parties.
Dichter says more and more Conservative MPs are privately reaching out with statements of support for the convoy.
Lich tears up as she talks about stories shared with her from along the convoy of people who have lost jobs, had elderly relatives die alone, been denied healthcare.
Chris Barber and Benjamin Dichter point out that they are fully vaccinated. They stress that it’s not about vaccines, but about the mandates.
Dichter is asked how unvaccinated Canadian truckers would be helped if mandate lifted when US has similar rule in place. He says Canada lobbied for it, and thinks US mandate was responsive.
Dichter asked about strong Quebec showing at freedom convoy. Says the “lunatic” running Quebec has driven up support for freedom convoy among Quebecers.
Dichter, who is Jewish, is asked about Confederate and Nazi flags seen yesterday. Says anyone trying to hold these up as representative of the rally as a whole is a “hack” who should be ignored.
“Nobody associated with that is in our group, Barber says of statue and war memorial incidents.
Asked which restrictions and which mandates the convoy is opposing: “It’s everything,” the organizers say in unison.
Asked about high Indigenous support for convoy, Lich says there are a lot of concerns about federal failure to deliver clean drinking water, and historic distrust with federal government over treatment of Indigenous women and girls.
“This is not going to he another political party,” Dichter says, but adds the convoy movement can and will add political pressure.
Lich says the core organizational team running the convoy is made up of about 40-50 people, including two provincial captains per province. Hundreds more one layer out from that, they say.
Organizers aren’t providing a vehicle or head count, because they don’t have one. “We lost count.” They’re trying to get figures from all of their road captains about how many vehicles were in each route.
Organizers say they have enough food and fuel to keep the truckers in place as long as they need to be there. The convoy ends when the vaccine passports and all vaccine mandates are gone.
Asked why the focus on Parliament Hill when most restrictions are provincially imposed, organizers say they’re starting at top but provincial movements will follow.
Dichter says they have more trucks than they need to make their point. Says organizers are working out shift rotation so some truckers can leave to pick up short loads if available then return to Parliament Hill.
“This block party is peaceful,” Dichter reiterates.
Organizers are not worried about trucks being forcibly removed this week. “How are they going to remove them?”
Organizers say they have rebranded the convoy locale in front of Parliament Hill as “Trudeau’s truck stop.”
Press conference has concluded.
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