Washington Police Aware Trucker Protest May Occur in March, Says No Permit Requested Yet

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Washington Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to Sputnik that it is aware a trucker protest that may occur in the US capital next month, but no permit has been requested.

Yahoo News, citing a Homeland Security Department (DHS) document sent to local law enforcement agencies, reported that an advisory has been issued about potential trucker protests against COVID-19 mandates, similar to the one in Ottawa, Canada, that could kick off in California as early as this weekend.

"The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is aware of potential First Amendment activities that may take place in the National Capital Region, including Washington, DC, on March 1, 2022," a MPD spokesperson said on Wednesday. "At this time, a permit application has not been submitted to MPD."

The MPD will be monitoring, assessing and planning accordingly with its law enforcement partners, the spokesperson said.

A trucker protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates is expected to start in California as early as mid-February and travel to Washington, DC, by at least mid-March, according to media reports.

A wave of protests across Canada began in mid-January, with thousands of truckers, farmers and other Canadians converging on Ottawa to express strong opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine mandates after two years of draconian restrictive measures. The protest has since involved additional diverse citizen groups uniting in opposition to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.