Photo feature by Gerard Murray

IT’S SATURDAY, Feb. 5, and downtown Edmonton has become a gathering place for protesters calling themselves a “Freedom Convoy,” demanding an end to public health mandates regarding COVID-19.

This was the second consecutive Saturday gathering of this nature. Protesters created congestion on city roads in protest of Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and vaccine requirements for long-haul truckers at the Canada-U.S. border.

Lines of semi-trucks and tractors – as well as smaller pickups – stretched through southern parts of Edmonton before culminating on 109th Street downtown for a march on the legislative grounds.

Various flags and signs were waved by protesters on foot cheering on the truckers along 109th Street, who honked their vehicle horns in response.