Ottawa
Freedom Convoy 2.0 appears to be a bust.
Canada Unity, one of the anti-government protest groups behind the protests that headlined much of last year, is calling off its plans to restage the event this February.
Canada Unity founder James Bauder initially planned to bring a four-day blockade to Ottawa but then said it would be moved to Winnipeg.
Bauder now says in a Facebook post it's not going to happen at all, citing security breaches and personal character attacks on him.
As the 2022 protest in Ottawa was forced to end last February Bauder was among dozens of people arrested and charged with mischief and various counts of disobeying police and court orders.
The first iteration of the Freedom Convoy blockaded downtown Ottawa for three weeks and shut down at least four border crossings, resulting in the federal government's decision to invoke the Emergencies Act for the first time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 2, 2023.
Banner image via The Canadian Press
