- Donald Trump has praised the freedom convoy, a group of Canadian truckers protesting US-Canada vaccine mandates.
- The former President called Trudeau a "far-left lunatic" for his COVID-19 rules and restrictions.
- The Canadian police have confirmed they are working to shutdown the protests, which have lasted over a week.
Nine days into the "Freedom Convoy" protests in Canada, an anti-vaccine group protesting new border regulations, Donald Trump has praised it and called Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a "far-left lunatic."
The protests started on January 29, led by campaigners opposed to the mandate that truckers crossing the US-Canada border must be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The protests, which are being investigated by police for criminal activity and have brought parts of the capital Ottowa to a standstill, have been praised by Donald Trump whilst he simultaneously criticizes Trudeau.
"The Freedom Convoy is peacefully protesting the harsh policies of far-left lunatic Justin Trudeau, who has destroyed Canada with insane COVID mandates," said Trump in a statement. He did not comment on reports that Freedom Convoy members had been arrested for causing mischief to property, carrying a weapon to a public meeting, and issuing threats on social media while in Ottawa.
"Our goal is to end the demonstration," Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said Friday morning according to Global News Canada, noting that the protests have led to "a lot of unacceptable and unlawful activities."
Up to 400 additional trucks are expected to try to enter the city this weekend, to join the 50-60 that have been camped in Canada's capital for days, along with another 1000 to 2000 people on foot, say reports.
There were also reports of hundreds of trucks blocking the border in Alberta, earlier this week.
Trump added that "the Freedom Convoy could be coming to DC with American Truckers who want to protest Biden's ridiculous COVID policies."
Canada has some of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world, with 82% of citizens over the age of five vaccinated, according to the Canadian government.
The Freedom Convoy has raised C$10m ($7.9m) on GoFundMe. But the fundraising site is now withholding funds due to reports of the group committing violence across Canada.
Trump added that his social media site, Truth Social, announced in October 2021 but has still not launched, will welcome Freedom Convoy posts.
"Facebook is canceling the accounts of Freedom Convoy USA, and GoFundMe is denying access to funds that belong to the Freedom Convoy. This is unacceptable and extremely dangerous in any country that values free expression. TruthSocial is announcing today that we are welcoming the Freedom Convoy with open arms to communicate freely on TruthSocial when we launch – coming very soon!" Trump said in his statement on the Trump Media and Technology Group site.