‘Save the Children Convoy’ Leader Calls for Jailing Politicians and Replacing Government in QAnon-Inspired Speech

The lead organizer of the so-called “Save the Children Convoy” called for the arrest of politicians while advocating for the replacement of Canada’s government during a wide-ranging speech Thursday night that referenced themes associated with QAnon conspiracy theories.

Speaking at the convoy’s base camp located in a farm field 40 minutes east of Ottawa near Casselman, Ontario, Save the Children Convoy leader Gordon Berry appeared to endorse a key allegation brought against him by former supporters who have since disavowed the convoy.

Last week, multiple attendees of the convoy’s secret, in-person planning meetings told PressProgress Berry and other lead organizers shared plans that involved detaining police officers and federal Members of Parliament.

At that time, Berry declined to provide any comment responding to the allegations.

“You’re mainstream, you’re going to spin it against us,” Berry told PressProgress when asked about the allegations. “You guys cut my throat last time, you’re not cutting my throat this time.”

However, in his speech at the convoy’s base camp, Berry advocated “the people” arresting police officers and politicians, as well as replacing Canada’s democratically-elected government.

“These police should be arrested and these politicians,” Berry stated in a video livestreamed on his Facebook page. “There’s mountains of evidence.”

“We need the big numbers to go to these cities and hold them down.”

According to attendees of the secret planning meetings, the Save the Children Convoy originally planned to send convoys to Toronto, Ottawa and Tofino, British Columbia in a plot targeting police, federal MPs and the Freemasons. Toronto Police temporarily shut down access to Queen’s Park last month in response to the convoy’s plans.

“If all of these systems have failed us to this point, there is no other option but the people,” Berry went on to tell convoy supporters. “We’re here for this reason, we are the only solution.”

“We’ve had the legal right for almost 100 years or better to set a de jure government in this country right alongside this corrupt system,” Berry added.

“So, what is wrong with putting these people in prison for the crimes that they have committed and setting a system in place that benefits the people?”

Berry also referenced a conversation with Maxime Bernier, claiming the People’s Party leader suggested to him that the RCMP or a “parliamentary investigation committee” could look into unspecified allegations of crimes committed by police officers and politicians, something Berry rejected on the basis that they are “all corrupt”

(A People’s Party spokesperson told PressProgress Bernier “may have met Gordon Berry at the One Million March, but he does not recall any conversation on this topic,” noting “Mr. Bernier meets hundreds of people at events.” They also made clear that “the PPC is not affiliated in any way with the Save the Children Convoy.”)

At another point in the speech, the “Save the Children Convoy” leader railed against the threat of a “one world government” and referenced themes from QAnon conspiracies.

“People say you’re wasting your time because the military and the ‘white hats’ and all these things are taking place,” Berry said. “Well, if that happens, that’s a bonus, then we get to go back home and live our lives.”

“But what if it never happens? What if that’s nothing more than a distraction to keep us pacified until they get more control, more totalitarian control … I personally think we have three systems in play all leading to a one world governing system.”

The term “white hats” is QAnon terminology referring to government and military officials who are supposedly working behind the scenes in support of former US President Donald Trump in his battle against the so-called “Deep State.”

According to the Anti-Defamation League, “Q, Trump and the ‘white hats’ have been embroiled in what QAnon adherents view as an epic battle with the Deep State. QAnon followers believe a team of military and government insiders, posting under the “Q” identity, is leaking information to the public in order to enlighten them to ‘the Plan’ … QAnon adherents call this process ‘the Great Awakening’.”

Berry’s speech elaborated further on the QAnon theme, by detailing three competing forces that are trying to usher in a totalitarian one world government.

Referencing the “WEF and the UN and the WHO agenda” as well as another agenda attributed to Canadian right-wing commentator Jordan Peterson, Berry suggested another scenario.

“The one that a lot of people don’t believe necessarily, but from my research and the way I look at it is quite possible is the whole Trump-‘white hat’ scenario,” Berry said. “Which still leads to a one world government that they run.”

“I don’t see how a one world government ever benefits the people, we need a de jure governing system that is for the people, by the people, that’s it.”

“So what we’re trying to accomplish here is get rid of all these criminals,” Berry told the Save the Children Convoy base camp. “They are criminals.”

The “Save the Children Convoy” is a spin-off of recent anti-LGBTQ+ protests targeting schools and drag storytime events as well as loosely inspired by the controversial film “Sound of Freedom.”

Berry has himself linked the convoy to conspiracies about government-run child sex trafficking rings, or that the United Nations is promoting pedophilia in schools.

Gordon Berry (Facebook)

On his social media channels, the Save the Children Convoy leader has also shared content that explicitly references QAnon, including memes promoting debunked conspiracies insinuating Hillary Clinton murdered JFK Jr.

Gordon Berry (Facebook)

While QAnon has faded in influence since Trump’s 2020 election defeat and the failed insurrection on January 6, some of QAnon’s conspiratorial narratives, slogans and slang terminology have spread and evolved — in some cases gaining traction among New Age spirituality practitioners during the pandemic.

In a Facebook livestream video last month, Berry described his Save the Children Convoy as a “spiritual war” and convoy supporters as “spiritual warriors” and “lightworkers.”

“These people are evil, dark people and they run a dark agenda and they’re full of dark energy, so they’re doing everything they can to try to break our spirits, lower our frequency, lower our vibration, and the strong ones have to stay above this,” Berry said.

“I’m getting contacts … people from Italy, people from all over the world, all over the country reaching out, and they want to help remotely, they’re lightworkers,” Berry added. “We don’t need many of those people. Like they throw around that number 144,000, I was talking to another gentleman who helps train and build spiritual warriors, and he’s talking about the square root of one million – we don’t need millions of people to raise the level of consciousness.”

The term “lightworker” is sometimes used in QAnon and New Age “conspirituality” circles, some of whom have used it to describe former US President Donald Trump.

The original 2020 Freedom Convoy saw numerous vehicles occupying downtown Ottawa that explicitly displayed QAnon slogans or promoted QAnon narratives.

A number of individuals connected to the current Save the Children Convoy have promoted the QAnon slogan “WWG1WGA,” both in their online profile descriptions and in postings mocking police for arresting and criminally charging convoy members last week.

(Facebook)

One truck at the Casselman base camp owned by New Brunswick resident Sylvain Sinclair also prominently displays a “WWG1WGA” QAnon bumper sticker. Sinclair also posts content displaying similar messages on his TikTok account.

Sylvain Sinclair (TikTok)

Despite the influence of QAnon-inspired activists on the convoy, other members of the “Save the Children Convoy” are split, with some opposed to their messaging and others advocating solidarity with QAnon adherents.

Chat room messages accessed by PressProgress show some members of the convoy’s private Facebook group debating whether or not QAnon content should be banned.

“These QAnon posts should be banned from this site,” wrote one convoy supporter named Karen. Several others agreed, including one who suggested “the focus must be the kids only.”

“Leave the Q peeps alone for chrissakes, they’re on our side,” disagreed another convoy supporter named Taylor. “Q people are good Christians.”

Gordon Berry, Chris Dacey (Facebook)

Last week, multiple Save the Children Convoy members were arrested by police following an aggressive protest confronting MPs leaving the House of Commons, which led to one convoy supporter getting tasered by police in the middle of Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill.

An incident between two “Save the Children” factions at the convoy’s base camp also saw a man thrown from a moving car while attempting to punch in its windshield.

Photos and videos posted online suggest over 80 vehicles were stationed at the convoy’s base camp near Casselman, Ontario last weekend.