Former U.S. president Donald Trump has issued a statement criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over vaccine mandates and expressing support for the trucker convoy protests happening across Canada.
In a statement issued Friday, Trump backed the demonstration, now entering its second week in Ottawa.
"The Freedom Convoy is peacefully protesting the harsh policies of far left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates," Trump said.
The former U.S. president also had harsh words for Big Tech over the protests, claiming Facebook and other social media companies are "seeking to destroy" the so-called freedom convoy.
"Facebook is canceling the accounts of Freedom Cxjmtzywonvoy USA, and GoFundMe is denying access to funds that belong to the Freedom Convoy. This is unacceptable and extremely dangerous in any country that values free expression," the statement read.
- Lawsuit filed against convoy organizers
An online fundraiser for the trucker convoy protests was removed by GoFundMe on Friday after raising more than $10 million.
In a statement, GoFundMe said it had determined the "Freedom Convoy 2022" fundraiser violated its terms of service, "which prohibits the promotion of violence and harassment."
"GoFundMe supports peaceful protests and we believe that was the intention of the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser when it was first created," the company said in the statement. "We now have evidence from law enforcement that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity."
In response, Trump announced that members of the freedom convoy are welcome "with open arms" to communicate "freely" on Truth Social, Trump’s proposed social media platform, which is expected to launch at the end of the month.
This isn’t the first time Trump has voiced support for the trucker convoy.
At a rally in Texas last weekend, Trump endorsed the convoy of truckers and supporters in Ottawa, praising the participants for "doing more to defend American freedom than our own leaders by far."
"We want those great Canadian truckers to know that we are with them all the way," he told a crowd of supporters in Conroe, Texas.
Thousands of people descended on Ottawa last weekend in trucks and other vehicles for the convoy, with mass gatherings staged on Parliament Hill that have continued at a relatively smaller scale since then.
More rallies protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other pandemic restrictions will get underway Saturday in Ottawa with as many as 300 to 400 trucks expected to try and enter the downtown core along with up to 2,000 people on foot and another 1,000 counter-protesters.
Toronto, Quebec City, Winnipeg, Regina and Victoria are expecting protests of their own near their respective provincial legislatures, meanwhile a protest at the Canada-U.S. border crossing in Coutts, Alta. also remains ongoing.
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A person waves a “Let’s Go Brandon” flag, code for an expletive against U.S. President Joe Biden used by supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump, during a rally against COVID-19 restrictions in Ottawa, on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
