• 2023
• Feb
• 2

A Voice for the Kids

Thursday February 2, 2023

By Joe Anidjar (aka PuckDaddy)

Hockey and sports have always been a huge part of my life. My journey through the last few years all began when Covid-19 hit and they started to recommend restrictions and enforced vaccine mandates in children’s sports.

I began getting a lot of messages on social media from concerned parents. A lot of them did not want to vaccinate their child, but still wanted their child to be able to play. They felt pressured, they felt alone, they didn’t know what to do. I was also against vaccinating my children, seeing a number of red flags in the early research.

So I started a Facebook group for parents who were against the mandates in children’s sports: Youth Sports Freedom Fighters. Within three months to group grew to 11,000 members. It was a group to inform parents, to let parents know they weren’t alone and that they had support. We had a few months of many articles, many conversations, and a lot of truth.

After about three months, Facebook disabled my group without warning. I was very angry, upset, and kind of defeated, but I knew I had to come back stronger and keep people informed. We created a website called www.sportsfreedom.ca which included listings of all different types of sports organizations who didn’t discriminate against our children, information on vaccines, and upcoming events.

There were so many obstacles for parents to deal with! Many parents tried to get exemptions to the vaccine mandates, but I never saw a single exemption get accepted - whether for a medical issue or Cree/religious reasons. Many children in their draft year were forced to either get the jab or not play, crushing dreams. Many parents had to wait outside of arenas while their children played on the ice. Many children were simply not allowed to play a sport they loved with their friends, because of a medical choice. This had a huge impact on children - stripping them of their connections with friends, family, and society.

Posted by Greg Wycliffe on February 9, 2022. Click here to see more…

In response to this, Jody Ledgerwood and I created an event called Shinny Night in Canada. We locked down the streets of Toronto, invited speakers and doctors, turned on the music, and let the kids play street hockey right out in front of the Scotia Bank arena. It was a magical day! Seeing the kids playing together without fear and just having fun once again was all I needed to know that I was doing the right thing. It was so rewarding that we did it again the next year.

I was one of the first people to speak live about the restrictions and and mandates in kids’ sports on media outlets such as Rebel News, Counterpoint, and the Kevin J Johnston Show. I used my voice at many rallies and protests around Ontario, and I knew had to be a voice for the kids - especially when it comes to their sports.

When I heard about the Freedom Convoy I knew I had to get there, but I could never have guessed what it would be like. I never in my life saw more love, more unity, more inclusion. The moment I stepped foot in Ottawa I felt proud to be Canadian again.

Filmed by Winnipeg Alternative Media on February 2, 2022. Click here to see more…

I was in Ottawa for the majority of the convoy. The first two weeks were amazing; for the first time in a long time I was surrounded by happy, smiling Canadians just having a blast.

I will always remember the last weekend as ‘the dark weekend’. It had a whole different vibe, and I knew something bad was going to happen.

On February 18th I took my normal spot in the front lines. As the police approached us I saw women standing next to me pleading and crying for them to stop pushing. I stepped in front of the women, and was pulled away by five or six cops.

Many were arrested that day, and they lined us up in the freezing cold for an hour or so before transferring us to a bus. They didn’t seem to know what to do with us. A lady cop came on the bus and told us that they would drop all charges if we agreed not to return to the protest the next day. We all agreed and they dropped us at a mall - I think it was Laurentian Place. Thank God my hotel was only a two-minute walk away.

I’ll never forget the moments, the people, and just everything that happened during the Convoy. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event that can never be duplicated.

The Convoy will always live on, for we didn’t only make history - we inspired the world!

Joe Anidjar is a Hockey Dad fighting for freedom. He will continue to fight for our country and our children. He’s a proud member of Freedom Fighters Canada. To learn more about Youth Sports Freedom Fighters, visit their website at www.sportsfreedom.ca.

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