Convoy declares war on Covid mandates … just as the rules relax

Right-wing Republicans were on Tuesday to meet truckers from the ‘People’s Convoy’ camped outside Washington.

A member of the ‘People’s Convoy’ at Hagerstone, Maryland, before the truckers moved in on Washington. Picture: AFP

Leading right-wing Republicans were on Tuesday to meet truckers from the 1000-strong “People’s Convoy” camped outside Washington, as the protesters vowed an “escalation” in their demonstration against coronavirus vaccine and mask mandates.

The truckers set out from their camp on the outskirts of Washington for a second day of protests on Tuesday after causing minor disruption to traffic as they performed two laps of the Beltway, the road around the capital, on Monday (AEDT).

The congressional representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, both on the right of the party and devoted supporters of Donald Trump, were expected to meet protest leaders.

The demonstration has been derided by opponents, however, because most of the truckers’ demands have already been met. Almost every state has relaxed or ended its vaccine and mask mandates and infections have been falling since January.

The meeting with Ms Greene and Mr Gaetz was likewise dismissed by opponents as the latest attention-seeking gimmick by the two limelight-loving Republicans, pandering to conservative culture war talking points.

Supporters cheer as they greet the Peoples Convoy of Truckers, as it arrives at the Hagerstown Speedway. Picture: AFP

The truckers, who set out from California two weeks ago, are inspired by the “Freedom Convoy” in Canada that brought Ottawa to a standstill last month. The American convoy swelled to about 1000 vehicles as it crossed the US.

Hundreds of extra police officers and national guard troops have been placed on alert to monitor the convoy but the truckers have promised not to enter Washington itself “at this time”, which would put the city into gridlock.

On Monday, the column of trucks, occupying a single lane and stretching back several kilometres, twice circled the Beltway to cheers from scattered supporters on bridges, waving American flags and placards declaring “Freedom”. The protest had little impact, however. Some truckers abandoned the plan after a single lap of the capital, having become separated from the convoy and caught in traffic.

Organisers vowed to step up the protest on Tuesday by taking over two lanes of the Beltway and driving at the minimum legal speed limit. Brian Brase, one of the convoy’s leaders, urged truckers to “hold the line” and said that the protesters would not “sit idly by” until their demands were met.

The truckers have demanded that President Joe Biden end the national emergency declared at the start of the pandemic, and lift any remaining Covid-19 safety mandates.

The People’s Convoy raised close to $US2m in donations through its website but its stated goals have appeared increasingly irrelevant. A planned demonstration against mask and vaccine mandates at the Washington Monument flopped last week when only a few protesters attended.

The Times