Another weekend of COVID-19 protests sparks counter-protest in Whitehorse

For the third Saturday in a row, hundreds of people drove around downtown Whitehorse honking in their vehicles in support of the so-called Freedom Protest happening in Ottawa.

Even though this demonstration had fewer vehicles than previous weekends, honks were still blasting for an hour and a half.

Ross Mercer, who was in attendance, is a trucker and the owner of Mercer Contracting. He said the protests have evolved beyond just the vaccine mandates.

"This is standing up against hateful, divisive manipulation of the public perception," he said.

When asked what he hoped to accomplish with the protest, he said he wanted to encourage the "silent majority" to speak up.

"I feel very strongly that we need to move forward together as a country, look for unity, stand up for informed consent and make the best decisions we can collectively for society ... and bring us back to an open society where we're not stigmatised for engaging in free speech or dissenting with the popular narrative or disagreeing with the government," he said.

Pedestrians were not so fond of another convoy protest in town. 

One person told CBC he thought the convoy was a waste of time, since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he will not meet with the protesters.

Another pedestrian told CBC the honks were annoying and they should be protesting in a more "peaceful" way.

This time, drivers in the vehicle convoy were not the only ones on the streets on Saturday afternoon.

During the weekly demonstration at Shipyards Park, a small group of people stood across the street on 2nd Avenue for a counter-protest.

"I'm here to protest what's happening in Ottawa. It's just so awful and so unnecessary," said Lee Willett, a Whitehorse resident who was holding a sign that read 'I Love Public Health.'

"To do this now, at this stage of the pandemic when it's almost over, is ridiculous."

The counter-protest was not an officially organized gathering, Willett said.