Freedom Convoy spokesman Benjamin Dichter takes us behind the scenes of the three weeks that paralyzed Ottawa

Benjamin Dichter rose to fame as a spokesperson for the Freedom Convoy that swarmed Ottawa earlier this year. Since then, the Toronto resident and part-time trucker has become a known quantity in conservative and right-wing media circles, appearing on Tucker Carlson's Fox News program and Steven Crowder's YouTube show. He's even earned an endorsement from Jordan Peterson for his new self-published book, Honking for Freedom: The Trucker Convoy that Gave us Hope.

In the book, Dichter calls the protest a success because most provinces—and eventually the federal government—did lift their COVID vaccine mandates, and Ottawa got rid of the controversial ArriveCan app, albeit many months after the trucks left the capital.

But Dichter is still feeling the ramifications of his involvement with the convoy, including how the federal government unleashed the rarely used Emergencies Act to freeze his and other key protesters' bank accounts. Plus, there's a massive lawsuit launched against the convoy leaders by residents of downtown Ottawa.

Underlying his story is the fact that Dichter wasn't just the convoy spokesperson—he's also their biggest Jewish representative. In this extensive interview with The CJN Daily, Dichter explains his decision to reveal his Jewish identity publicly and how the convoy organizers felt about Nazi imagery in their protests.

What we talked about:

• Find Dichter's book
• Watch Dichter’s testimony before the Emergencies Act inquiry on Nov. 3, 2022 (starts at 2:32:05)
• Hear The CJN Daily's stories about the freedom convoy: Jews who supported the cause, locals who opposed it and the original outrage at the Nazi imagery within

Credits

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.