Canadian Liberal MP Ya’ara Saks is claiming that the ‘Honk Honk’ catchphrase used by Freedom Convoy protesters over the past few weeks is actually a secret code for ‘heil Hitler.’
‘Honk Honk’ became an unofficial slogan in support of the truckers who blared their horns incessantly in protest of pandemic mandates during demonstrations that paralyzed the capital city of Ottawa for nearly a month.
During Monday’s debate on the Emergencies Act invoked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Saks defended the Act to remove protesters from the Parliament Hill area Sunday as she launched into what she believed was the meaning of the ‘Honk Honk’ slogan – a code for supporting Hitler.
‘How many guns need to be seized?’ Saks asked in Parliament Monday. ‘How much vitriol do we have to see of ”Honk Honk” – which is an acronym for ”heil Hitler” – do we need to see by these protesters on social media?’
In the early days of the protests back in January, a Confederate flag and a swastika flag were spotted in the crowd, which led to Trudeau calling all protesters ‘swastika wavers’ in a speech addressing the demonstrations.
The prime minister’s comments sparked outrage for branding anti-mandate protesters of the Freedom Convoy ‘swastika wavers’ as demonstrators smeared Trudeau and a lawmaker from his own party resigned after accusing the prime minister of dividing the people of Canada, saying the federal government’s pandemic response has become ‘politicized’ and ‘divisive.’
Canadian Liberal MP Ya’ara Saks is getting backlash for claiming that the ‘Honk Honk’ catchphrase used by Freedom Convoy protesters over the past few weeks is actually a secret code for ‘heil Hitler’
The MP replied to the backlash with a Twitter thread saying, ‘For those who think that ‘Honk Honk’ is some innocuous joke. I’ll just leave this here’
She quote retweeted a 2019 post from Gwen Synder, that claimed ‘honk honk’ actually means ‘heil Hitler,’ which is sometimes abbreviated to ‘HH.’
Snyder had claimed that the phrase was explicitly chosen as a White supremacist symbol and posted a screenshot of a 4chan post without context as evidence
Following Saks’ comments on Monday, many took to social media to criticize the Liberal MP.
She replied to the backlash with a Twitter thread saying: ‘For those who think that ‘Honk Honk’ is some innocuous joke. I’ll just leave this here.’
She quote retweeted a 2019 post from Gwen Synder, who has been described as a ‘antifascist’ and ‘organizer’ that claimed ‘honk honk’ actually means ‘heil Hitler,’ which is sometimes abbreviated to ‘HH.’
Synder continued: ‘HH’ phrases like ‘honk honk.’ They mean ‘heil Hitler.’ H is the 8th letter of the alphabet, thus 88. ‘Honk honk’ is associated with the honkler and is often used ‘ironically’ by alt-right trolls.”
Snyder had claimed that the phrase was explicitly chosen as a White supremacist symbol and posted a screenshot of a 4chan post without context as evidence.
”Honk honk’ is associated with the honker,’ Synder wrote, referencing an image of internet meme Pepe the Frog in a rainbow wig.
According to Urban Dictionary, ‘honk honk’ is a ‘dog whistle commonly used by neo-Nazis’ that’s essentially code for ‘Heil Hitler.’ Its origins come from the ‘right-wing side of the clown world movement,’ with honk honk as the sound from a clown’s nose.
Another definition in Urban Dictionary for ‘honk honk’ refers to the Freedom Convoy.
Saks testified during Monday’s debate on the Emergencies Act invoked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and defended the Act to remove protesters from the Parliament Hill
Saks, who is the first member of Canadian Parliament with dual Israeli citizenship, previously faced criticism from the country’s Jewish community after being elected to represent York Centre, where 15-20 percent of the residents are Jewish.
Saks gained approval for raising the issue of anti-Semitism in her first parliamentary appearance, but many were also upset by the government’s decision several days earlier to vote in favor of a pro-Palestinian resolution, The Times of Israel reported.
She had previously been blasted for her comments about Israel before she was elected.
In 2019, she published an essay on her personal blog, which also appeared in The Times of Israel’s opinion section, where she depicted Israel as built on tropes of fear, protracted conflict and rising religious extremism.
Saks, who is the first member of Canadian Parliament with dual Israeli citizenship, previously faced criticism from the country’s Jewish community after being elected
A woman kneels before police in Ottawa on Friday as protesters are arrested at the end of a three week protest
Police confront demonstrators against vaccine mandates in Ottawa on Friday. Demonstrators shouted ‘Freedom!’ as police closed in and began making arrests in the final crackdown
The Freedom Convoy demonstrations initially focused on Canada’s vaccine requirement for truckers entering the country, but morphed into a wider protest against the country’s highly restrictive COVID precautions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s faux-liberal government.
Ottawa protesters are largely gone from the Parliament Hill area Tuesday after having been chased away by officers sporting riot gear in what was the biggest police operation in Canada’s history.
Police made 196 arrests, with 110 facing a variety of charges. Law enforcement also said 115 vehicles connected to the protest have been towed.
Lawmakers in the House of Commons voted Monday 185 to 151 to affirm the powers, giving police the right to quell any potential restart of blockades by those opposed to Trudeau’s Covid restrictions.
Trudeau said earlier that the powers were still needed despite police ending the occupation of the nation’s capital by truckers over the weekend and police ending border blockades before that.
Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said the protesters were going for the ‘lifeblood of this nation, which is trade with the United States.’
Trudeau noted there were some truckers just outside Ottawa who might be planning further blockades or occupations. His public safety minister said there was an attempt to block a border crossing in British Columbia over the weekend.
The emergencies act allows authorities to declare certain areas as no-go zones. It also allows police to freeze truckers’ personal and corporate bank accounts and compel tow truck companies to haul away vehicles.
Ottawa protesters who vowed never to give up are largely gone, chased away by police in riot gear in what was the biggest police operation in the nation’s history.
‘The situation is still fragile, the state of emergency is still there,’ Trudeau said before the vote.
Opposition New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh’s party supported it, ensuring Trudeau had enough votes. Singh said they know there are protesters waiting in the surrounding areas of Ottawa and in the capital itself.
