Sen. Rand Paul said on Tuesday he is in favor of trucker blockades in the US that are similar to those in Canada over COVID-19 rules, which have caused major trade routes to be closed.
“I’m all for it,” the Kentucky lawmaker told The Daily Signal.
“Civil disobedience is a time-honored tradition in our country, from slavery to civil rights, you name it. Peaceful protest, clog things up, make people think about the mandates.”
Canadian truckers have blocked major artery crossing the US-Canada border to protest various public-health measures, especially the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
According to Bussiness Insider, protests shut down the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit, Michigan, and Ontario, Canada on Monday. The bridge linking Canada to the US has since reopened, but traffic into Canada from Detroit remains blocked.
In the US, the convoy has gained support from the right, with Fox News hailing the truckers and, now, Paul is calling for similar action in the US.
“I hope the truckers do come to America. I hope they clog up cities,” Paul said in an interview, who had previously opposed mask regulations and vaccine requirements.
“We’re seeing a break in the dam now. Several Democratic governors are finally sort of relinquishing.”
There are plans to relax or lift mask mandates in several states, including New York and California.
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“What they’re finding is, moms and dads are upset about this,” Paul stated.
“They’re not just Republican. Everybody’s upset about this. They’re annoyed that their little kids have to be in a mask.”
Earlier in the week, The Department of Homeland Security warned that similar protests could take place during Super Bowl weekend.
They could start in California by mid-February and travel across the country to Washington by mid-March.
The department said they had “received reports of a convoy of truckers planning to potentially block roads in major metropolitan cities in the United States in protest of, among other things, vaccine mandates for truck drivers.”
Although the security measures have been ramped up, the Sheriff’s Department in Los Angeles County said on Wednesday that the threat presented by the truckers has no “legitimacy.”.
Meanwhile, Rochelle Walensky, the Director of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has continued to recommend face-coverings indoors.