The People’s Convoy held a rally on Wednesday night in Monrovia, Indiana as they entered the town. The event was called “Rally for Freedom & Accountability”. During the rally, the Attorney General of Indiana, Todd Rokita, took to the stage – which was actually a flatbed semi-trailer – to say a few words.
.@peoplesconvoyus arrives in Monrovia pic.twitter.com/juhhZZgTH3
— Mitch Legan (@ByMitchLegan) March 1, 2022
“Thank you for standing up and giving us all some courage – to stand up for ourselves and stand up for this great nation,” said the Attorney General. He further said, “We the people, we’re on top, and the government is supposed to be subject to us.” Chants of “freedom” and “Let’s Go Brandon” could be heard from the audience during the rally.
The People’s Convoy is a group led by truckers in the US that plans to protest vaccine mandates and governmental overreach during the Covid-19 pandemic. The group was inspired by a similar ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest by Canadian truckers, which saw a brutal crackdown by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after he invoked emergency powers in response to the protest. As part of the crackdown, 196 people were arrested and 115 vehicles were impounded. The bank accounts of the protestors were also frozen.
Despite all that, the People’s Convoy is determined to make its way to Washington after having started in southern California. The convoy is estimated to have around 280 vehicles; about 100 of them are semi-trucks while the rest are comprised of cars, motorcycles, and motorhomes. At one point the convoy stretched to over 10 miles.
The People’s Convoy left Monrovia on Thursday morning, heading to Cambridge, Ohio next. The final stop for the convoy will be the Capital Beltway in Washington. The organizers are planning to have a peaceful protest when they get there; they do not plan to enter Washington as of now. However, there are talks amidst organizers of plans to shut down the Beltway.
In response to the planned protests in Washington, Biden’s Department of Defense is giving approval to the request by the DC government and Capitol Police to have the presence of National Guards. Around 700 troops will be deployed in the nation’s capital ahead of the protests.