The mayor of Ottawa is hoping his management of the motorcycle convoy and protesters heading to his city this weekend will help rebuild trust with the community after complaints from residents during the Freedom Convoy protests earlier this year.
“I feel much more confident today with the plan in place and the preparatory work that’s been undertaken by the police and our different departments to help slowly but surely regain the confidence of the public,” Mayor Jim Watson said in a press conference on April 28.
Watson said these types of protest events will recur and wants the city to be “better prepared to deal with it firmly but fairly.”
Freedom Convoy protest participants peacefully demonstrated in Ottawa for three weeks in February, calling for the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and mandates, but attracted complaints from residents due to the noise and disruption with hundreds of large trucks parked in the city’s downtown core.
The mayor says the city has had more time to prepare for the Rolling Thunder event this weekend than it did for the Freedom Convoy.
Ottawa Police Service (OPS) interim chief Steve Bell presented his plan for the event during the press conference and also sought to reassure residents.
“We have heard the concerns from the community. ... Your police service will not allow for unsafe or unlawful conditions that could lead to another unlawful protest,” he said.
The OPS said earlier this week that vehicle-based events such as Rolling Thunder would not be allowed in the downtown area.
Instead, a route has been planned for the motorcycle riders that will get close to, but not pass by, Parliament Hill and the War Memorial, where organized events are scheduled to take place.
The entire route has been designated a no-stopping and no parking area.
‘Confusion and Disinformation’
The organizer of Rolling Thunder, military veteran Neil Sheard, released a video on April 27 to clear what he said is “mainstream media confusion and disinformation” about the event, saying the motorbike convoy’s purpose is to honour veterans who wish to pay their respects at the National War Memorial.“Our event has always been about the veterans. It’s always been about the monument. And it’s always been about the bikes driving around and saluting the monument. Plain and simple,” he said.
“We got some speeches, drop the wreath, minute of silence, give back dignity to the monument, and give dignity back to the veterans.”
Sheard said the group was not connected to an event planned by Freedom Fighters Canada (FFC) on Parliament Hill for the same weekend, but he said he supports those who fight for the freedom of all Canadians.
Veterans 4 Freedom (V4F), which is organizing the event at the War Memorial on April 30 and is also partnered with Rolling Thunder, says the monument was “desecrated” by authorities when they erected a fence around it during the Freedom Convoy and when veterans were beaten during the police clearing operation.
Veterans later removed the fence and proceeded to clean the monument of snow and ice.
