Latest

‘Stop calling the truckers racist’: Unfounded smears against Freedom Convoy insulting to Black supporters

February 12, 2022 | | Print Article

WhenPrim Minister Justin Trudeau discovered he couldn’t run far enough to escape the cries of Canadians demanding an end to his authoritarian COVID vaccine mandates, he did what progressives always do when they are backed into a corner: He called the truckers and those who support them, racists.

Now, author and attorney Jamil Jivani is punching back, telling liberal politicians and mainstream media, “Stop.”

In an opinion piece for Newsweek, Jivani wrote: “It will be uncomfortable for some to read this, but the truth must be said: We have no reason to believe the majority of truckers in the convoy are racist. In fact, appropriate for the month of February, the trucker convoy is actually a Black history moment.”

Last week, Trudeau told lawmakers, “The people of Ottawa don’t deserve to be harassedin their own neighborhoods. They don’t deserve to be confronted with the inherent violence of a swastika flying on a street corner or a Confederate flag, or the insults and jeers, just because they are wearing a mask.”

Trudeau received support from groups such as the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) and Amnesty International who helped strengthen his flailing message.

But as Jivani pointed out, “Countless trucker convoy participants and supporters are Black.”

“A popular Instagram account called ‘poc4freedomconvoy’ (shorthand for People of Color for Freedom Convoy) with over 60,000 followers has documented the outpouring of support that the trucker convoy received from members of Black communities across Canada. The account’s first post is a picture of Chanceline Rukundo that reads, ‘I am Burundian/Canadian and I support the #freedomconvoy2022,'” Jivani wrote.

Jivani pointed to the reporting of National Post columnist Rupa Subramanya, who has been highlighting the diversity and unity within the Freedom Convoy movement on Twitter.

“An Indo Canadian, a Black Canadian and an Asian Canadian went to a protest… they’re asking Canadians if they’re racists as asserted by the mainstream narrative,” Subramanya tweeted.

“Black people in the trucker convoy or supporting it might be a surprise to some if they’re getting their news form Canada’s liberal media,” Jivani wrote. “But it actually makes a lot of sense. The trucker convoy is primarily a response to vaccine mandates being imposed on working- and middle-class Canadians. The vaccine mandates have hurt Black families more than almost any other group in the country.”

Jivani noted that, as in America, black communities in Canada are “disproportionately unvaccinated.”

“Of course, Black men and women would want the mandates to end, and support a protest movement with such demands,” Jivani wrote.

He’s not the only one pushing back against the “truckers are racist” narrative or the hypocrisy of Justin Trudeau.

Earlier this month, Canadian Parliament member Candice Bergen called on Trudeau to apologize to the Canadian people.

“So, again, I will ask the Prime Minister, who may I remind this House, wore blackface on more times than he can remember, apologize to the peace-loving, patriotic Canadians who are outside right now just asking to be heard,” Bergen said.

 

Even Liberal MP Joël Lightbound is against the smear tactics, saying, “I have enough respect for my fellow Canadians not to engage in these easy and absurd labels.”

As for Jivani, he hopes Black History Month will be an opportunity for the world to see that Black people are more than the victims of history.

“This year’s Black History Month is a chance to see that Black people are not merely victims of history, but makers of it… The trucker convoy is an example of Black people playing a meaningful role in shaping their countries,” Jivani wrote. “Don’t let liberal politicians or mainstream media corporations convince you of anything less.”

Melissa Fine
Latest posts by Melissa Fine (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles