Truckers May Disrupt Super Bowl, Go to D.C. in Vaccination Protest

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is warning law-enforcement officials that a convoy of truckers protesting COVID-19 vaccination mandates could make its way across the U.S., potentially blocking roads in major cities and disrupting Super Bowl Sunday in Los Angeles. The department said the convoy could form on Sunday at the Super Bowl site in Inglewood, Ca., and travel to Washington, D.C., where President Biden is giving his State of the Union address on March 1, says the Wall Street Journal. The agency said that, “While there are currently no indications of planned violence or civil unrest, if hundreds of trucks converge in a major metropolitan city, the convoy could potentially severely disrupt transportation, federal government and law enforcement operations, and emergency services through gridlock and potential counterprotests.” Demonstrations in Canadian capital Ottawa involving hundreds of truckers protesting vaccination mandates have clogged traffic and upended residents’ day-to-day lives. Protesters inspired by the demonstration in Ottawa halted most traffic on Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge, a crucial U.S.-Canada trade corridor. Detroit-based auto makers have scaled back production and laid off staff as they face difficulty securing supplies. Truckers from the Ottawa demonstrations could join those gathering in Washington, DHS said. Such a convoy would potentially divert public-safety resources, limiting law enforcement’s ability to respond to other calls during the Super Bowl, which is expected to draw 70,000.