Trucker convoy crosses Conn. on way to D.C.

CONNECTICUT. (WFSB) - A group of truckers and their supporters will be crossing the state on their way to Washington D.C.

The group is called “The Northeast People’s Convoy,” and they are protesting COVID-related restrictions and what they view as government overreach.

We’ve seen truckers protest in Canada, and that protest has spread to the United States.

Wednesday a convoy is headed from Maine to Washington, D.C. and it went through Connecticut this afternoon where hundreds cheered them on.

One lane of a bridge over I-84 in Southington was eventually closed because there were so many people.

The convoy that went through the state this afternoon is the Northeast People’s Convoy.

These are independent trackers that started in Maine and are headed to the nation’s capital.

There were some issues going through Massachusetts. Trucks got separated but they regrouped.

The convoy had hundreds of trucks and went on for probably seven miles.

It was late to arrive in Southington but the people who were waiting for them were not disappointed.

“I am not in favor of any of the mandates, not the vax mandate and not the mask mandates. I believe people should have the freedom of choice that’s why I am here,” said Shirley Bloethe of New Britain.

“I am here to promote freedom, freedom of speech to do what we want with our bodies. And to support Donald J. Trump and the truckers,” said Dan Bournival of Waterbury.

The movement started in Canada where hundreds of truckers were protesting pandemic restrictions.

Those who showed up at the rally Wednesday represent different groups.

There were a lot of Trump supporters.

The common thread among them is they were all against masks, vaccines and mandates.

Connecticut has now relaxed many state mandates, including vaccines and masks.

It’s now up to school districts to decide if they want to keep those mandates.

Parents who attended the rally say they want those mandates to go away.

There have been several convoys across the country that have formed.

Some have dissipated like the “Freedom Convoy,” which started in Southern California. It ended after they didn’t have enough participants to make it past the Kansas-Missouri border.

There is also the “Texas Convoy,” and the “Northeast Convoy.”

Many of the convoys plan to make it to D.C. by March 5.

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