Angry protests against government policies shakes the quiet image of Canada

The most important and most popular Canadian city found that it is boring, itself stuck in a back party that never ends.The giant trucks are spread in the roads in the center of Ottawa, and extends at a distance or more, in front of the Gothic Parliament buildings, and government offices that feel as if they were kidnapped from the former mother - England - and immersed in the new world.Among the trucks, crowds of demonstrators wander around, many of whom are Canadian flags, on their heads or carry them on hockey sticks and speculators.

In temporary camps, there are tents and tables loaded with snacks, coffee, gloves and earplugs, in addition to grills and sausages.The flat part of a trailer was converted with a crane into a theater, with four speakers installed on it, to be shouted all the time with the classic song of the singer Selidge "We are a family".And people dance in the adjacent intersection.

"This is not my city," said Eli Charters, 45, and she crosses the street in front of a row of taxis decorated with handmade banquets, and stuffed games..Charters, a local population, described the noisy concert as a "cleansing" of the darker protest motives.

This city is the capital of a country that calls for its constitution to "peace, order and righteous rule".The Canadians are generally with the regime, and Ottawa - a strange capital known to the employees who skill along a frozen canal to go to work - takes this rule to new levels.Years ago, a garden officer wearing a special jacket closed the lemon juice booth set up by two small girls on a herbal rug, because they had no permission.

Among the high glass buildings and residential towers, trucks were like concrete blocks.On the other side of the Catholic Church, protesters used barrels to set fire, and they were constantly provided by a huge basket of firewood, to provide warmth in the cold Ottawa winter.In the middle of the road, there is a giant truck with an open back with donations: boxes of jackets, sleeping bags, hygiene tools, and paper napkins.One of the trucks installed a mailbox written on it "The Freedom Caravan Simon Valle".

Latifa city

Local residents say it is much more than just a protest.They were harassed in the street, and they narrated that they were afraid, but rather chased.The police are investigating a possible burning attempt by the lobby of a residential building in the city center."Ottawa has a very peaceful and directed culture towards society," said Estan Cleman, who was wandering in the neighborhood in which she lived on Tuesday, with volunteers.What can I do to help? ».

Many hope that it will end soon, to restore their gentle and calm city.There is a saying that has become common these days, "Make Ottawa boring again".

The chaos that occurred in recent weeks left many people who are asking whether Canada is witnessing an alternative political right, or is it an anger caused by a long -term pandemic, and as soon as it ends, you will sleep leaving behind a confused country, but it is basically unchanged?

It may also be, as some argue, that the so -called "the convoy of freedom" is not a deviation at all, but it is a mirror of an integrated part of the country, which is not commensurate with the stereotype, and thus is ignored?It appears that the disturbances are a rejection of the "dear" myths imposed on the citizens of Canada, from abroad, which are considered "moderate", and they follow the rules, balanced, and Latifin.."It looks like a national nervous collapse and a new anger," said Susan Dylacort, a veteran political column writer from Ottawa, who is wondering, like many of her citizens, about what is happening to her country now..

Because Canada is not like its neighbor (America), which casts a shadow over it, it has not been born from the womb of a revolution, but was established as a result of the negotiations;So the rebellion seems, now, unconventional, and perhaps strange.

Strict rules

Over the past two years of the public health crisis, the Canadians have followed the teachings of their "classic book". وحتى حكومات المقاطعات ذات الميول اليمينية أخذت زمام المبادرة بإخلاص، في الغالب، من خبراء الصحة العامة، وتمرير Strict rules للوباء اتبعها المواطنون بعد ذلك.However, the reasons for the rebellion now seem more than that they are somewhat unconventional.But there is one clear thing: members of the "Caravan of Freedom" do not cry "for settlement" or "they care about each other".The echoes of the streets in the center of Ottawa are chanting with chants and slogans mixed with the language of the American revolution.A man wearing a red mask shouted: "Freedom!".

For a full two years, the Canadians remained in the home largely, and many of them spent more time in front of the screen than ever..They seem to have absorbed the cultural war in the United States, which took place on channels such as "Fox News" and "Prosta", and trampling ideas in Canada have rooted, said Gerald Pots, an old friend of Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and his former assistant politician.It was not just ideas, as right -wing activists in the United States and other places provided more than the moral support of some people in Canada.

In addition, at least some money that allowed the demonstrators in the capital to keep their trucks operating and covering other expenditures from unbearable sources on collective financing platforms and encrypted currencies.

collecting money

"We conducted the longest federal election campaign in history, in 2015, and we spent $ 42 million, right?" Said the old Canadian politicians, who worked as an adviser to the Prime Minister.That amount.

"One of the most disturbing things about this movement is that it has shown how easy it is millions of dollars in Canadian politics," Botts added..The question, now, is how this can happen in the coming months and years.

Traditionally, Canadian policy is competing for the center, not for the margin of the ideological spectrum.Political analysts note that the far -right Canadian People's Party, whose leader, Maxim Bernyeh, is the hero of the truck drivers protest;He did not win a single seat in the parliamentary elections that took place last year.

Feeling of alienation

Populist.The controversial brother of Ontario Prime Minister, Doug Ford, was one day the mayor of Toronto, the country's largest city. ولسنوات، احتشد حزب «الإصلاح» حول Feeling of alienation والقيم المحافظة اجتماعياً.

"There is a disturbing trend in Canada to define everything that is pushing against the basis of our founding as importing from the United States," Stein said.With its principles and strength, it is Canada, because we are very nice and cared for each other ».

For his part, the co -author in the book "Restore Popular", Paul Samarler, argued that the health services available to all in Canada, and the affordable cost education system may "give the country a sense of fairness and equal opportunities, against populism"."People are tired and angry, and this is a very specific moment related to people who feel very uncomfortable, during the past two years, because of the epidemic," said Samarvell, a former investment banker in British Columbia..

Personal suffering

The turmoil angered many Utawa population, who led counter -protests against what they consider a "frightening occupation" of their city..But they also attracted huge crowds of supporters of the caravan, especially on weekends, when the city center turned into a lofty party, and an alternative news conference, all at the same time..

The strangers stop for improvised conversations, hugs and express what is going on in their minds, and they smile a lot, and after two years of wearing the mask, this provides emotional support.One of the women in the streets wrapped a sign urges people to smile.It does not take a long time to hear personal suffering stories, and to understand the reason that people who are committed to the rules are to make a decision to call for a small rebellion.

"Everyone of these people has had catastrophic harm," said the protester, Johnny Row, who lowers his loudspeaker for a moment..The Yoga coach, from the city of Kingston, suffered great losses during the past two years, as he lost his home, work and half of his pension savings;Then his son -in -law died because of the virus."The suffering has reached a level that they do not have to lose," he added..

By comparison, the death rate was much lower than the United States.But it came at a high cost;The restrictions were severe and long.About two years after the spread of the epidemic in Canada, the country is still in different stages of closure, with a closed dining prohibition in the two largest provinces in the country, Ontario and Kepeck, until recently only.

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