[14] The Canadian anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine mandate Freedom Convoy which began in Ottawa in late January 2022 inspired similar Facebook and Telegram groups in 34 countries including Australia.

[1][12] Protesters waved flags or wore merchandise supporting Donald Trump, the United Australia Party, One Nation, the QAnon conspiracy theory, and anti-lockdown groups.

[16][17] On 4 February, "Sovereign citizen groups" gathered outside police stations where supporters attempted to "serve papers" on public officials.

In response to protest activity, Lifeline Canberra and the Capital Regional Farmers Market suspended their events due to safety concerns for customers.

[14] The previous night, anti-mandate protesters attempted to enter a BentSpoke brewery in Canberra but were stopped by staff since they did not comply with health directions.

[25] On 12 February 2022, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended his government's COVID-19 mitigation policies and urged protesters to demonstrate in a "peaceful and respectful way."

[20] In late January 2022, the crowd fundraising website GoFundMe froze more than A$160,000 in funds raised by supporters of the "Convoy to Canberra" amidst concerns over how the money would be spent.

[28] On 10 February, Crikey reported that several fake Facebook accounts based in India, Bangladesh and Canada were being used to organise the Convoy to Canberra protest and to solicit donations.