Abstract
Abstract
French
In this contribution, Christine Mitchell analyses some of the biblical texts and imagery that appeared in photographs, social media and other formats during and after the ‘Freedom Convoy’ of January–February 2022. She discusses white Christian nationalism, Canadian contexts and interpretations of biblical texts, and demonstrates that a kind of ‘plain reading’ of Christian scripture blended with Canadian symbolism gave a religious framework to the convoy.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Altman
MJ
Copulsky
J
(2022 ) Introduction: A religious, yet religiously incoherent event . Available at: https://uncivilreligion.org/home/introduction (accessed 30 October 2022 ).
2.
Barrera
J
(2022 ) For many inside the Freedom Convoy, faith fuels the resistance . CBC News , 15 February . Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/faith-convoy-truckers-1.6350538
3.
Blewett
T
(2022 a) Group purchasing St Brigid’s Church property plans space for all, including those from ‘freedom’ movement . Ottawa Citizen , 19 July . Available at: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/group-purchasing-st-brigids-church-property-plans-space-for-all-including-those-from-freedom-movement
4.
Blewett
T
(2022 b) TUPOC is out, but the future of St Brigid’s remains uncertain . Ottawa Citizen , 25 September . Available at: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/tupoc-is-out-but-the-future-of-st-brigids-remains-uncertain
5.
Brown
I
(2022 ) They came. They idled. They left. What have convoy protesters been doing since they went home? Globe and Mail , 4 June . Available at: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ottawa-convoy-protesters-visit-at-home/
6.
Butler
AD
(2021 ) White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America . Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press .
7.Canada Unity (2022 ) Introduction to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) . Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20220122173201/https://canada-unity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Combined-MOU-Dec03.pdf (accessed 13 June 2022 ).
8.CBC News (2022 ) Ontario court freezes access to funds raised for protest convoy on GiveSendGo platform . CBC News , 10 February . Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/freedom-convoy-2022-donations-frozen-give-send-go-1.6347345
9.
10.
Crawford
B
(2022 ) Honk if you love Jesus – why so many evangelical Christians have joined the ‘Freedom Convoy’ . Ottawa Citizen , 11 February . Available at: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/honk-if-you-love-jesus-why-so-many-evangelical-christians-have-joined-the-freedom-convoy
11.
Davis
JT
Perry
SL
(2021 ) White Christian nationalism and relative political tolerance for racists . Social Problems 68 (3 ): 513 –534 .
12.
Dearman
JA
(ed.) (1989 ) Studies in the Mesha Inscription and Moab . Atlanta, GA : Scholars’ Press .
13.
Devega
C
(2021 ) Religion scholar Anthea Butler on ‘white Christianity’ and its role in fueling fascism . Salon , 19 October . Available at: https://www.salon.com/2021/10/19/religion-scholar-anthea-butler-on-white-christianity-and-its-role-in-fueling-fascism/
14.
Du Mez
KK
(2020 ) Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation . New York : Norton .
15.Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (n.d.) Bible translations bestsellers, best of 2021 . Available at: https://christianbookexpo.com/bestseller/translations.php?id=BO21 (accessed 23 August 2023 ).
16.Freedom Convoy 2022 (2022 ) Freedom Convoy 2022 call temporary pause in horn-blowing . Newswire , 5 February . Available at: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/freedom-convoy-2022-call-temporary-pause-in-horn-blowing-833398244.html
17.
Gilbert
D
(2022 ) Hackers just leaked the names of 92,000 ‘Freedom Convoy’ donors . Vice , 14 February . Available at: https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7wpax/freedom-convoy-givesendgo-donors-leaked
18.
Gillis
M
Helmer
A
(2023 ) Unofficial plaque commemorating ‘Battle of Billings Bridge’ vanishes . Ottawa Citizen , 10 February . Available at: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/unofficial-plaque-commemorating-battle-of-billings-bridge-vanishes
19.
Haigh
RJ
(2022 ) Silencing the land: Joshua as a military ritualist . Biblical Interpretation 31 (2 ): 158 –178 .
20.
Hames
E
(2019 ) Don’t dismiss them as ‘crackpots’: Who are Canada’s yellow vest protesters? CBC News , 11 January . Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/yellow-vests-canada-alberta-1.4974721
21.
Hart
G
(2021 ) Decoding ‘the base’: White evangelicals or Christian nationalists? Studies in Political Economy 102 (1 ): 61 –76 .
22.
King
ML
Jr
(1956 ) ‘The death of evil upon the seashore’, sermon delivered at the Service of Prayer and Thanksgiving, Cathedral of St John the Divine . Available at: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/death-evil-upon-seashore-sermon-delivered-service-prayer-and-thanksgiving (accessed 18 July 2022 ).
23.
Klein
RW
(2012 ) 2 Chronicles: A Commentary . Minneapolis : Fortress Press .
24.
Laucius
J
(2022 ) How the ‘Battle of Billings Bridge’ attracted hundreds of volunteers, trapped convoy for hours . Ottawa Citizen , 15 February . Available at: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/battle-of-billings-bridge-attracts-hundreds-of-volunteers-traps-convoy-for-hours
25.
Lecacque
T
(2022 a) The ‘Freedom Convoy’ is inspired by a biblical account of divine massacre: Welcome to the Jericho march . Religion Dispatches , 17 February . Available at: https://religiondispatches.org/the-freedom-convoy-is-inspired-by-a-biblical-account-of-divine-massacre-welcome-to-the-jericho-march/
26.
Lecacque
T
(2022 b) Leaked ‘Freedom Convoy’ donor comments clearly demonstrate Christian nationalist presence . Religion Dispatches , 20 February . Available at: https://religiondispatches.org/leaked-freedom-convoy-donor-comments-clearly-demonstrate-christian-nationalist-presence/
27.
Levinson
BM
(2006 ) The first constitution: Rethinking the origins of the rule of law and separation of powers in light of Deuteronomy . Cardozo Law Review 27 (4 ): 1853 –1888 .
28.
Ling
J
(2022 ) The problem with Ottawa’s protesters . Politico , 9 February . Available at: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/09/problem-with-ottawas-protesters-00007272
29.
McDonald
M
(2010 ) The Armageddon Factor: The Rise of Christian Nationalism in Canada . Toronto : Random House Canada .
30.
McKeen
A
(2022 ) GoFundMe closes ‘Freedom Convoy’ fundraiser after reports from police . Toronto Star , 4 February . Available at: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/gofundme-closes-freedom-convoy-fundraiser-after-reports-from-police/article_93486c80-848a-5079-8cfd-f01cbfcc5340.html
31.
Miller
J
(2022 ) Convoy protest organizers James and Sandra Bauder appear in court . Ottawa Citizen , 23 March . Available at: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/convoy-protest-organizers-james-and-sandra-bauder-appear-in-ottawa-court
32.
Mitchell
C
(2022 ) How white Christian nationalism is part of the ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests . The Conversation , 16 February . Available at: https://theconversation.com/how-white-christian-nationalism-is-part-of-the-freedom-convoy-protests-177113
33.
Moore
R
(2016 ) 2 Chronicles 7:14 isn’t about American politics . In: Russell Moore. Available at: https://www.russellmoore.com/2016/01/14/2-chronicles-714-isnt-about-american-politics (accessed 30 October 2022 ).
34.
Ottawa Citizen
(2022 ) Truck convoy: Trudeau invokes Emergencies Act; judge approves city’s injunction; ‘several’ trucks moved off residential streets: Watson . Ottawa Citizen , 15 February . Available at: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/truck-convoy-day-18-in-ottawa-noon-deadline-in-mayors-deal-with-convoy-pm-talking-to-premiers
35.
Pringle
J
(2022 ) Top Canadian defence officials condemn protesters dancing on Tomb of the Unknown Soldier . CTV News Ottawa , 29 January . Available at: https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/top-canadian-defence-officials-condemn-protesters-dancing-on-tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier-1.5760168
36.Reddit (2022 ) Transcript of the Ottawa balcony man roasting the ‘Freedom’ Convoy occupiers below . Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/ontario/comments/suc6c8/transcript_of_the_ottawa_balcony_man_roasting_the/ (accessed 30 October 2022 ).
37.R v. Keough (2022 ) 2022 SKPC 23 (CanLII).
38.
Schmitt
R
(2000 ) The Old Persian Inscriptions of Naqsh-i Rustam and Persepolis . London : School of Oriental and African Studies .
39.
Schweitzer
D
(2012 ) The changing social imaginary of the United Church of Canada . In:
Schweitzer
D
(ed.) The United Church of Canada: A History . Waterloo, ON : Wilfrid Laurier University Press , 279 –297 .
40.
Sedgwick
EK
(2003 ) Touching Feeling: Affect, Pedagogy, Performativity . Durham, NC : Duke University Press .
41.
Tasker
JP
(2022 ) Banks are moving to freeze accounts linked to convoy protests. Here’s what you need to know . CBC News , 16 February . Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/emergencies-act-banks-ottawa-protests-1.6353968
42.
Tunney
C
(2022 ) Court grants injunction to silence honking in downtown Ottawa for 10 days . CBC News , 7 February . Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/injunction-ottawa-granted-1.6342468
