Black Parliamentarians Say Protest Convoy Is a Venue for ‘White Supremacists’

A group representing Black MPs and senators is calling the protest convoy that’s been encamped for a week around Parliament Hill a venue for “white supremacists” and other extremists.

“The ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest became an opportunity for white supremacists and others with extreme and disturbing views to parade their odious views in public,” the Black parliamentary caucus said in a news release Friday.

“This is unacceptable. These displays of hatred and violence offend Canadians and have no place in our country.”

The caucus said the protesters’ clear goal is to intimidate politicians and the money raised to support the protest could be used to bankroll “domestic white supremacist terrorism.”

The parliamentarians also cited links between protesters and extremist organizations {snip}

The caucus called on the government and opposition MPs to move beyond statements condemning hatred and violence. It said that the money raised through the crowdfunding site GoFundMe by convoy organizers — over $10.1 million — was collected with “neither transparency nor accountability.”

The Parliamentary Black Caucus also said MPs must take a closer look at how police have managed the protesters. Ottawa’s police service has come in for heavy criticism for permitting the protesters to snarl traffic throughout the downtown and sound their truck horns at all hours.

“There have been lots of discussions about how this has been handled and whether the response would have been the same if the protestors were predominantly Black or Indigenous,” said Senator Rosemary Moodie, the co-chair of the federal Black caucus, in a follow-up email.

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The caucus also called for a ban on displays of hate symbols such as the Confederate flag — widely used as an emblem of white supremacy. {snip}

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