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The “People’s Convoy,” a US imitation of the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” that disrupted Ottawa and several border crossings last month, has entered its second day of protest in the Washington DC area. On Sunday, the convoy drove a lap on I-495 - commonly called the Beltway - which encircles Washington DC, though some ended up lost amid the highway’s substantial traffic. Organiser Brian Brase told his followers that every day their demands are not heard, they will circle the 64-mile Beltway an additional time.
The convoy left Adelanto, California, late last month, and picked up participants along the way before reaching its current staging area in Hagerstown, Maryland.
The group’s goals are nebulous. Organisers have said they want an end to the national emergency enacted shortly after the coronavirus hit the US, as well as the lifting of mask and vaccine mandates. However, as almost every state has rolled back or plans to lift their masking requirements and the federal government has lifted its own, the group’s aims appear to have shifted to a general protest of the Joe Biden administration.
In addition to general right-wing protesters, it has been confirmed that at least some QAnon influencers have joined in on the convoy as well.
