4chan Users Have Threatened A Canada 'Bank Run' In Response To Justin Trudeau's 'Emergencies Act' Invocation

Canada and its Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have been under global scrutiny for the past month based on the ongoing Freedom Convoy happening in the country. The anti-vaccination mandate protest championed by truck drivers has led to controversy and memes in recent weeks all around the web.

Yesterday, Trudeau invoked the "Emergencies Act," something he and his government can reportedly use to freeze bank accounts of those involved in the protests. This has been noted by users on 4chan who are now threatening a mass "bank run" in retaliation.

I want to be very clear about what we are – and are not – doing by invoking the Emergencies Act, and how taking this step will help get the situation under control. In case you missed our announcement earlier today, watch this: pic.twitter.com/htGmZH09Jd

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 15, 2022

Trudeau announced the invocation of the Emergencies Act within a press conference held yesterday in Ottawa, Canada. He stated that the act would give police and authorities "more tools" to indict "public assemblies" that perform "illegal and dangerous activities." Two of these activities that he cited were "blockades and occupations," directly referencing the Freedom Convoy.

More specifically, the invocation of this act was in response to a blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, a supply route that connects Michigan and Ontario. It was reported by The Financial Post that the week-long blockade disrupted $390 million in trade each day.

Overall, the act will allow the government to limit civilian travel, use or dispose of citizen property, police, fine or imprison people, as well as deploy the military to halt the protests. Trudeau has described that final ability as a "last resort." However, the measure that has received the most amount of attention in memes is the government's ability to freeze bank accounts of citizens suspected of sending financial aid to the Freedom Convoy movement. This was emphasized during the same press conference on Monday by Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland. Twitter user Greg Price was one of the first to repost the video clip to the platform, inspiring heated reactions from many.

This is literal madness.

Canada's Deputy Prime Minister says, under the Emergencies Act, banks can immediately freeze or suspend bank accounts without a court order and be protected from civil liability.

Is this still a free country? pic.twitter.com/IzAALIxzbB

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 14, 2022

The potential for the freezing of bank accounts, as well as the entire invocation in general, read to many citizens as a limit of their freedom and right to protest. Besides on Twitter, the outrage was also prevalent on 4chan, specifically on the /pol/ board. An anonymous user posted a thread yesterday titled, "Great Canadian Bank Run 2022," including a photograph of TD Bank and stating, "Since Trudeau has declared war and is turning the banks on their own people can we meme this into reality?"

More anons joined onto the thread, toying with ideas like pulling out all their assets and transforming them into gold. Others started to imagine a reality where Canadians pulled their money from their bank accounts in order to invest in cryptocurrency, holding all of their wealth on the blockchain outside of Canada's control. Memes ensued in relation to the plan, appearing en masse going into today.

The idea spread to Twitter soon after, with right-leaning influencers like Jack Posobiec tweeting about the possible development. Posobiec's tweet, among others, urged conservatives and alt-right supporters around the world to consider the option. It was even promoted on Twitter by the official account of the WallStreetBets subreddit, with their tweet earning over 2,400 likes in less than 24 hours. Earlier today, the account, however, deleted the tweet. A screenshot of it can still be viewed below.

4chan is calling for a run on Canadian banks in response to Trudeau’s crackdowns

— Truckistani Underground Poso 🚛 (@JackPosobiec) February 15, 2022

I smell a bank run coming in Canada.

— Unacceptable Minority Brokenn Fang (@RobinJMBrown) February 14, 2022

Expect a bank run in Canada shortly. If you tell people you can freeze their accounts, they’re gonna get cash out of their accounts.

— Zakalwe (was Who Is John Galt?) (@AnalystHex) February 14, 2022

I'm honestly going to enjoy watching this bank run in Canada. Hit them where it hurts the most. Withdraw your money.

— Natalie F Danelishen (@Chesschick01) February 15, 2022

EVERYBODY DO THE BANK RUN #CanadaHasFallen #CanadaBankRun #bankruncanada pic.twitter.com/ExnJI04WC0

— Juan Camaney (@DEMedinaP) February 15, 2022

As "#bankruncanada" trends on Twitter, the online buzz is getting louder. Only time will tell, however, if citizens actually jump onto this trend in significant numbers, actualizing it in real life by withdrawing their money and investing it elsewhere. With loud voices echoing its sentiment, this could be a story to watch and one that will likely inspire a lot of meme content.