Franklin Graham Calls Truckers 'Modern-Day Version of Paul Revere' - Police Rough-up Elderly Convoy Supporter
The Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Quebec are moving to lift their COVID restrictions as a convoy of protesting truckers continues to block major roads on the U.S.- Canada border.
Protests over COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Canada are also having an impact on the U.S. as demonstrators block traffic at a main entry point.
A 10-mile backup of trucks is causing 12-hour delays at the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit. It's the busiest international land border in North America with $323 million in goods crossing the bridge daily.
Analysts say the disruption in the supply chain could soon affect America's auto industry.
The trucker protest against vaccine and other COVID restrictions is also paralyzing parts of Canada's capital of Ottawa despite a police crackdown that some have called harsh.
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Evangelist Franklin Graham asked his Twitter followers to pray because "FREEDOM" is at stake.
"Pray for our neighbors to the north," Graham wrote. "Freedom is precious. The issue isn't primarily masks or vaccines—the issue is FREEDOM, the freedom to make our own choices. These truckers are a modern-day version of Paul Revere, riding against oppression."
Pray for our neighbors to the north. Freedom is precious. The issue isn't primarily masks or vaccines—the issue is FREEDOM, the freedom to make our own choices. These truckers are a modern-day version of Paul Revere, riding against oppression.
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) February 8, 2022
"Who would've thought you'd ever be arrested for delivering fuel or food to people in need?" Graham said in a follow-up tweet. "But that's what's happening in Canada. You might be arrested for bringing fuel or food to truckers who are a part of the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa."
Ottawa Police Pull Over Elderly Man for Honking Car Horn
Meanwhile, an elderly great-grandfather was arrested by Ottawa Police Sunday after showing his support for a protesting trucker by honking his car horn.
The Toronto Sun reports 78-year-old Gerry Charlebois was arrested and handcuffed by police for sounding his vehicle's horn.
Charlebois, a retired school janitor, told the newspaper he wasn't protesting.
"I meant no harm," he said. "I just gave the trucker a thumbs-up and a honk."
The Sun also published a photo showing bruises and cuts on the man's left hand.
He told the outlet, "I was in shock. When (the police) pulled me over, he told me I was in trouble for honking the horn."
Video of Charlebois' arrest has gone viral on social media. In the video, an officer takes hold of Charlebois' arm puts it behind his back, and tells him he's under arrest. A bystander filming the incident asks, "What are you doing?"
"Failing to I.D.," the officer replies to the camera as he spins the elderly man around and leads him to a police cruiser.
Charlebois' family told The Sun they were horrified at the way their father was treated.
"He's just 4 foot 10," his son Steve told the newspaper. "He wouldn't hurt anybody."
Meanwhile, new freedom convoys are taking place around the globe, and U.S. truckers are organizing a protest where participants will drive across the country from California to Washington, D.C.
