OTTAWA, Ontario – Canadian truckers feel vilified by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's portrayal of them, they told Fox News.
"I think it's disgusting for any leader of a country to vilify people for exercising their democratic rights, their right to protest, the right to demonstrate peacefully," one trucker, Andy Wing, told Fox News.
Canadian truckers have been protesting in Ottawa for nearly two weeks, calling for an end to the government's vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers. Trudeau on Monday demanded the protests stop on Monday, a day after Ottawa's mayor declared a state of emergency.
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"People of Ottawa don't deserve to be harassed in their own neighborhoods, don’t deserve to be confronted with the inherent violence of a swastika flying on a street corner or a confederate flag or the insults and jeers just because they're wearing a mask. That's not who Canadians are," Trudeau said to the House of Commons.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said that he had tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), speaks during a media availability held at a location which is not being made public for security reasons, near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada January 31, 2022. Adrian Wyld/Pool via REUTERS
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One trucker, Adrien De Medeiros, said the way Trudeau portrayed them was "a little bit funny, because he's calling us terrorists, yet we have six-year-old kids out here playing hockey. We have four or five bouncy castles during the weekend, with hundreds of kids playing around."
A girl and her family walk through the line of truckers, handing out thank you notes (Fox News Digital/Lisa Bennatan)
Trudeau tweeted Monday: "Canadians have the right to protest, to disagree with their government and to make their voices heard … But let's be clear: They don't have the right to blockade our economy, or our democracy, or our fellow citizens' daily lives. It has to stop."
Wing told Fox News: "He's said many times publicly that he supports peaceful protest, but except, I guess, when it disagrees with what he believes or what narrative he wants people to follow."
Wing, echoing his brother-in-law trucker, told Fox News they just want Trudeau to "come out and talk to us. That's all we're asking. We're not trying to overthrow the government. We're not trying to ruin democracy. We're following democracy."
A boy holds a "Thank You Truckers" sign as he walks through the line of trucks in Ottawa (Fox News Digital/Lisa Bennatan)
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Another trucker also felt the "Freedom Convoy" was not being fairly depicted.
"It's awful," he said.
All the "thank you notes and little kids … it's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen coming together across all of Canada," he continued.