Two Ottawa residents discussed the Freedom Convoy on Thursday and seemingly poked holes in the media and Canadian government officials’ narrative that the trucker protest has amounted to an insurrection.
Ottawa residents Alycia and Soungui Koulamallah visited the site of the protest, sharing how the atmosphere has been filled with “love” and “kindness.”
“My business has not been interrupted by any of what’s been going on with protests, I am a full supporter of protests because I’ve actually taken the time to come down and speak to these people and get to know why they’re here and their stories, which is what a lot of people aren’t doing,” Koulamallah said. “I believe that most people that are just spewing out hate and all this ugly language toward these truckers, those are the people that are staying at home and not making the effort to come downtown and talk to these people.”
WATCH:
Ottawa residents Alycia @plantbasedb and @SounguiFitness who live in centertown curious about the protests went to check them out and found only love and kindness. Songui brought his mother to the protests. She had only seen the mainstream coverage and she changed her mind. pic.twitter.com/T9UB1DgJkN
— Rupa Subramanya (@rupasubramanya) February 10, 2022
Koulamallah said he had brought his mother down to the protest a few days earlier and his mother was shocked to see the difference in what the media was portraying versus what was actually happening on the ground.
Alycia said she agreed, noting “so far, every single person we have met has just met us with so much love, understanding so much peace. They made me cry so many times just hearing their incredible stories of what they’re fighting for and I just love everyone so much.”
Despite testimony and videos appearing to show the protest is peaceful, Canadian officials such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have labeled the protest as a group of people “waving swastikas.”
Trudeau accused protesters of “trying to blockade our economy, our democracy and our fellow citizens’ daily lives.”
The Prime Minister also called the group a “small fringe minority” that was “holding unacceptable views.”
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson declared a state of emergency Sunday, claiming the protest “reflect the serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced a state of emergency Friday, calling the protest an “illegal occupation” that will be met with severe punishment.
Corporate media pundits like MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough have echoed these sentiments, calling it a “cult,” according to Fox News. The Washington Post published a piece that described the protest as a “stunt” that “represents a fringe viewpoint.” (RELATED: MSNBC Staffers Hyperventilate About Canadian ‘Insurrection’ Armed With Plink Tables, Pizza Ovens, Hot Tubs)
Vox published a piece claiming Truckers had “terrorized Ottawa” by blocking streets, “forcing business closures, and honking their extremely loud horns all night.”
CNN’s echoed statements from Ottawa’s chief of police who labeled the protest a “nationwide insurrection driven by madness.”
CNN’s Paula Newton said the language was “familiar.”
“And just think of the language. I know it sounds familiar to you. A threat to democracy. An insurrection, sedition. I want to be clear things have quieted down a bit, but that does not take away from the basic truck-in, right the sit-in that’s going on right in front of the national parliament.”