Freedom truck convoy stops in Salina Thursday night and then heads to Topeka en route to Washington, D.C.
A Freedom Convoy, inspired by the Canadian protest of COVID-19 mandates, will roll into Salina Thursday evening. Heading out of Aurora, Colorado, on Thursday morning, the convoy will roll across Interstate 70 and stop in Salina.
According to its Facebook post, the convoy will spend the night off exit 252 on I-70 at Pilot Petro Travel Center at 1944 N. 9th St. The truckers expect to arrive in Salina about 8:30 p.m.
About 9 a.m. Friday, March 4, the truckers are expected to head back onto I-70 and travel through Topeka, Kansas City and on to Missouri as they head to their final destination of Washington, D.C. They hope to have a "slow roll" through Junction City and Topeka, arriving in the Kansas capital about 10:30 a.m.
The truckers say they want to remain peaceful.
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The group wrote on its Facebook page, "Let’s stand up for our freedoms and fight these unlawful mandates peacefully and effectively."
Another Facebook page was formed for Kansas truckers, The Kansas Truckers for Freedom Convoy page.
On the page, they also wrote they want to "stand together and say no to all of these 'health' mandates."
Another group, The People's Convoy, started in Adelanto, California, on Wednesday, Feb. 23, and then rolled through Missouri, Indiana and Illinois en route to the capital.
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The Freedom Convoy and The People's Convoy will meet up with other convoys in Washington, D.C. USA Today reports that about 700 National Guard members are prepared to be available as the convoy enters the nation's capital. Organizers say they do not want to shut roads down.
The Department of Defense approved 400 D.C. guard troops to provide support at designated traffic posts throughout the nation's capital, a release from the department said. These units will provide command and control. They will also bring in 50 large tactical vehicles to be placed at certain traffic posts on a 24-hour basis through Monday, March 7. But, the release stated, guard members will not carry firearms or take part in law enforcement or domestic-surveillance activities.
The “Freedom Convoy” movement began in Canada with truckers protesting vaccine mandates. Truckers in Canada went to Ottawa, the nation's capital, and brought traffic to a standstill.
The People's Convoy's tagline is "Let Freedom Roll." They say they are not affiliated with any groups.
This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Truckers' 'Freedom Convoy' rolls through Kansas this week
