ABC and NBC continued their kvetching Monday over the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa, Canada and their massive crowds protesting the socialist country's coronavirus vaccine mandate in order to cross the U.S./Canada border to deliver goods that keep our economies running.
ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir led off the segment whining about “hundreds of trucks part of the freedom truck convoy, they say, bringing the government center to a standstill. And tonight, the protests now spreading to the U.S. border. Long lines of semi’s at the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit now.”
Muir then turned to correspondent Trevor Ault for his report on the Freedom Convoy. Much like Muir, Ault was also concerned that the convoy was spreading. “The police chief saying his city is under siege, calling the demonstrations a nationwide insurrection as solidarity protests pop up across Canada and in Alaska," Ault warned. "And the protests are supported by sympathizers around the world, including in the United States.”
Ault tried to smear the protesters by citing outlier instances of "national monuments desecrated, and some protesters displaying symbols of hate," as if that justified a "state of emergency." He also seemed to brag that "A multimillion-dollar GoFundMe page now taken down. The company saying in a statement the fundraiser had to be refunded due to increasing reports of violence and other unlawful activities," he reported
Over on NBC Nightly News, national correspondent Miguel Almaguer wailed that “the movement is being called an insurrection by some, paralyzing the Canadian capitol.”
Almaguer continued lamenting that “with reports of protests turning violent, Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau says there’s no plan, for now, to call in the military to clear the streets.” Later, when noting the impact the protests have had on the capital city, Almaguer ironically referred to the convoy as an “unprecedented occupation.”
NBC even seemed disappointed that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had yet to institute a plan "to call in the military to clear the streets." "The 11-day protest now declared a state of emergency, with much of the city locked down in a blanket of gridlock. The mayor now asking for 2,000 additional police officers," Almaguer noted.
It's a safe bet you didn't hear this type of language in the summer of 2020 during the networks' coverage of the actual occupation in downtown Seattle, Washington in the form of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ/CHOP) where multiple people were killed and businesses were being extorted. NBC highlighted the Ottawa businesses annoyed with the truckers but they didn't care about those Seattle residents.
This latest example of the leftist evening broadcast network coverage of the freedom caravan was brought to you by Liberty Mutual on ABC and Fidelity on NBC. Their information is linked.
To read the transcripts of each segment click expand:
ABC's World News Tonight
02/07/2022
6:36:40 PMDAVID MUIR: In the meantime, we turn north of the border tonight, another developing scene and the state of emergency in Canada's capitol city, Ottawa. The growing protests that began over a vaccine mandate for truck drivers now a protest against all Covid restrictions. Hundreds of trucks part of the freedom truck convoy, they say, bringing the government center to a standstill. And tonight, the protests now spreading to the U.S. Border. Long lines of semi’s at the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit now. ABC's Trevor Ault from Ottawa.
TREVOR AULT: Tonight, Canada's massive truck driver protests now spreading to the US border. Video showing lines of semis at the ambassador bridge into Detroit. Officials saying demonstrators were slowing border wait times. It comes as Canada's capitol city has been crippled by 11 straight days of protests. Hundreds of trucks and thousands of demonstrators clogging the streets of Ottawa. The so-called freedom convoy, first protesting a vaccine mandate for truck drivers in order to cross the border, now calling for an end to all Covid restrictions. The noise is constant here and its engines and horns and speeches and music. These protesters are going to be heard.
UNIDENTIFIED TRUCK DRIVER: We’ve been here since last Saturday.
AULT: Last Saturday?
UNIDENTIFIED TRUCK DRIVER: Yeah.
AULT: Just staying in the truck?
UNIDENTIFIED TRUCK DRIVER: Yup.
AULT: How long do you think you’ll be out here?
UNIDENTIFIED TRUCK DRIVER: Until something happens.
AULT: Officials now declaring a state of emergency, citing national monuments desecrated, and some protesters displaying symbols of hate.
POLICE CHIEF PETER SLOLY: I have my own officers who live in and around those areas. They and their children have not been able to sleep. They and their children have not been able to go to school.
AULT: The police chief saying his city is under siege, calling the demonstrations a nationwide insurrection as solidarity protests pop up across Canada and in Alaska. And the protests are supported by sympathizers around the world, including in the United States. Well over 100,000 donors trying to bankroll the demonstrations. A multimillion-dollar GoFundMe page now taken down. Company saying in a statement the fundraiser had to be refunded due to increasing reports of violence and other unlawful activities.
And David, as those the demonstrators are now near Detroit on the ambassador bridge, the busiest land crossing in North America, a lot of anti-vaccine, anti-mandate sympathizers want to use this as a blueprint and there's already some evidence of potential plans for similar demonstrations in Europe and in Washington, D.C. David?
NBC Nightly News
02/07/2022
7:09:30 PMLESTER HOLT: In Canada, a major vaccine protest that could have an impact here. More than a thousand truckers in the capitol protesting a vaccine requirement to enter the U.S. Using their big rigs to drive home their point. Here is Miguel Almaguer.
MIGUEL ALMAGUER: The ear-piercing protest snarling streets with big rigs as demonstrators demand an end to the country's mandatory vaccine requirement for truckers crossing the U.S./Canadian border. Dubbed the freedom convoy, the movement is being called an insurrection by some, paralyzing the Canadian capitol.
PROTESTER: No one’s here to hurt anything. We're just here to be heard.
ALMAGUER: The Canadian trucking alliance estimates just 10% of cross-border truckers are unvaccinated. In a blow to protesters, one source of funding has been cut off after GoFundMe said they'll return $9 million in donations citing unlawful activity.
POLICE CHIEF PETER SLOLY: We are turning up the heat in every way we possibly can within our operations and enforcement.
ALMAGUER: Today a Canadian judge signed an injunction to stop incessant honking as diesel fumes frustrate residents and shop owners alike.
SARAH CHOWN (RESTAURANT OWNER): It's difficult to breathe. You can't hear yourself think after an hour, you know, the headache is excruciating.
ALMAGUER: The 11-day protest now declared a state of emergency, with much of the city locked down in a blanket of gridlock. The mayor now asking for 2,000 additional police officers.
OTTAWA MAYOR JIM WATSON: What was initially described as a peaceful protest has now turned into a siege of our downtown area.
ALMAGUER: With reports of protests turning violent, Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau says there’s no plan, for now, to call in the military to clear the streets.
PROTESTER: We gonna end these mandates, we gonna end these lockdowns.
ALMAGUER: Sarah Chown's restaurant is empty. The unprecedented occupation of Ottawa has a stranglehold on the economy.
CHOWN: People are struggling to pay their bills, pay their rent. They're begging to come in for work, but there’s simply no work to be had right now.
ALMAGUER: For now, the White House says the chaos in Canada has not yet affected the fragile supply chain here in the U.S. But that could soon change. Lester?
