![]() While hospitals and vaccine clinics have been continuously targeted by the anti-lockdown movement, recent months have seen an increase in the number of individual-specific protests, often outside the private homes of politicians and medical workers. Many of these trends are continuing and, in some cases, worsening as the different actors work toward at least two specific kinds of activities. Conspiracy movement adherents, such as those in the QAnon movement, may seek to tie their beliefs to anti-government extremism, posing a serious threat to public order. They may also manifest through a youth-driven culture war that seeks to “take Canada back” from what is seen as a coalition of socialists, progressives and globalists. These new grievances will likely be along the lines of previous far-right extremist preoccupations, such as the promotion of anti-immigration, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic views, policies and violence. These well-networked individuals may continue to stay in touch with extremists as they move to new issues – whatever those may be. The anti-lockdown/anti-vaccine movements have had nearly two years in which to network, reach new audiences and test their messages to improve their outreach. The London attack disrupts the narrative of imported Islamophobia What Canada can learn from Australia’s COVID-19 response Who believes in COVID-19 conspiracies and why it matters Nevertheless, there are reasons to be concerned. In addition, movements in Canada tend to be consumed with interpersonal and intergroup dynamics that prevent a larger, more cohesive movement from emerging. First, that the far-right in Canada does not seem to have the popularity of similar movements in the United States and even Europe. There are two competing trends to consider. Together, these were able to quickly adapt to pandemic conditions, creating their own groups, seeking to co-opt/subvert others, or to fit the pandemic into their own extreme interpretations of the world. CANADA LOCKDOWN DRIVERSThere appear to be four drivers of anti-lockdown narratives in Canada: misinformation reported by alternative media outlets the adoption of anti-lockdown positions by politicians extremist groups latching on to COVID-19 conspiracy theories to attract new members and opposition to public health measures by the religious far-right. As such, there is concern about the heightened risk of political violence, as well as what the future of this movement may be. In a recent report, we note that many of the protestors are those who are frustrated with the impact that public health measures have had on their lives, livelihood and businesses, while many others are figures associated with the far-right, anti-immigrant and anti-government movements. While some of the groups in this movement have been around for decades (such as Vaccine Choice Canada), others have emerged for the purpose of directly responding to public health restrictions and vaccinations. Since the introduction of public health measures such as masking requirements and lockdowns during COVID-19, there has been a pushback in Canada. ![]()
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