- European cities are banning "Freedom Convoy" protests and threatening jail time.
- Online groups have been discussing organizing protests against COVID-19 restrictions.
- The move comes as truckers have paralyzed Canada's capital and a major US border crossing.
Authorities in Paris and Belgium on Thursday banned road blockades threatened by groups organizing online against COVID-19 restrictions, in part inspired by protesters in Canada.
Citing "risks of trouble to public order," the Paris police department banned protests aimed at "blocking the capital" from Friday through Monday. Police will put measures in place to protect roads and detain violators.
Blocking traffic can lead to two years in prison, 4,500 euros (more than $5,000) in fines, and a suspended driver's license, the police department said in a statement.
Online chat groups in France have been calling for drivers to converge on Paris starting Friday night, and to continue on to Brussels on Monday.
There have been calls to action in Belgium for truckers to converge on the capital, which houses European Union institutions.
Authorities in Belgium banned Monday's threatened blockade and said they would prepare to keep a convoy from cutting off access to the capital. A wide perimeter around the city of 1.1 million would be set up to keep an excess of trucks out of the center of Brussels.
Brussels Mayor Philippe Close said in a Twitter message that officials decided to ban the "Freedom Convoy" protest because organizers failed to seek permission to hold the event.
A similar freedom convoy is planned in Vienna on Friday.
The protests would mirror those of truckers in Canada who have blockaded border crossings and paralyzed downtown Ottawa.
In France, small groups of drivers set out Wednesday from Bayonne on France's Atlantic coast and Nice on the French Riviera, with stickers on their cars reading "Freedom Convoy."
Departures were also reported or planned in about a dozen other cities, with groups calling for them to converge on Paris on Friday evening and to protest there on Saturday.
Those looking to take part in the convoy appear to represent a mix of causes, and vehicles, from trucks to motorcycles and cars.
FranceBleu radio in the Vaucluse quoted the head of a transport company as saying he and three employees would rally to Paris in separate vehicles.
"It's truly a peaceful convoy," FranceBleu quoted the man identified only as Sylvain, who was leaving from the town of Sorgues.
"The idea is to make ourselves seen, heard. We have to end this health pass," he was quoted as saying, referring to a COVID-19 pass France requires to get into restaurants and other public venues. With a presidential election in two months, he said, "our governors are abandoning a bit the people."
France has seen weekly protests against vaccine rules and virus-related restrictions for several months, notably by far-right groups. Participation in the protests has waned recently. The vast majority of French adults are vaccinated against COVID-19.
The French convoys do not appear to have a single organizer or rallying cry. Some of the online groups include people who were active in the yellow vest protest movement against economic injustice, which largely fizzled in 2019 after the government responded to some of the participants' concerns.
The French protesters have been sharing images of truckers in Canada who have blockaded border crossings and paralyzed downtown Ottawa. They want an end to Canada's COVID-19 restrictions, including a rule for all truckers entering the country to be fully vaccinated.
Some are also calling for gatherings elsewhere in Europe, but it's not clear whether the different actions in different countries are coordinated.
A couple of Telegram groups in Spain are calling for gatherings and trying to organize logistics and food donations.
Meanwhile in the United States, dozens of right-wing groups have been using Telegram to discuss organizing convoys to protest in Washington DC — including planning routes and what gear to bring.
The Department of Homeland Security has warned that trucker convoys protesting vaccine mandates could begin as soon as Super Bowl weekend.
Homeland Security warned that a group could start in California as early as mid-February, travel across the country, and end up in Washington by mid-March.