OTTAWA – Police in Ottawa made several arrests Friday after confronting protesters opposed to COVID-19 orders, wearing helmets and shields as large platform trucks attempted to reach parliament.
The protesters arrived on Friday afternoon as part of the “Rolling Thunder” rally, organized by Freedom Fighters Canada, a group dedicated to speaking out against the COVID-19 mandate.
Many of the protesters also took part in a three-week “Freedom Convoy” demonstration that blocked downtown Ottawa earlier this year with large platforms, urging the federal government to invoke the Emergency Law for the first time.  The protest ended after hundreds of police officers came in to disperse the crowd, making dozens of arrests.
Before the protesters arrived on Friday, Ottawa police promised that this time the protesters would not be allowed to acquire a prolonged occupation.
They called in more than 800 reinforcements from the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police and district police to guard every major intersection in the city center and prevent protesters from carrying vehicles to the core.
It started quite calmly, with well-known shouts of “Freedom!”  as protesters mingled and danced on Wellington Street, the main street in front of Parliament.  Protesters also marched through the ByWard market accompanied by police.
But early Friday night, police warned of a large convoy trying to enter the city.  Hundreds of protesters soon gathered around large trucks and campers just outside the parliament hall.
As night fell, protesters shouted “Hold the line”, trying to push police away from the vehicles.  Police have gradually attempted to repel the crowds away from the trucks and return to the hill of parliament, as their protesters called “traitors”.
Ottawa City Councilor Jeff Leiper said he saw police smash a truck window to take control of the vehicle.  Police were seen making arrests on the street.
Some of the vehicles left on their own, as an armored regular police vehicle drove a trailer to the spot.
The Rolling Thunder team was initially unsure of the purpose for which it was rallying, except to say that it would “celebrate our freedom peacefully” and opposed the removal of veterans from the National War Memorial during the “Agreement of the Freedom “.  ”
However, many in the crowd belonged to protesters from the “Freedom Accord” months earlier.
Angela Manella from North Bay, Ont., Was in the national capital to protest vaccination orders in February.  He said he returned because the orders were still in force.
“My experience from the convoy protest was that there was so much love and connection and just such good energy,” Manella said on Friday at the Centennial Flame.
“I want to continue this energy and this momentum to continue to defend all of us.”
He said there was a sense of community among the protesters at the convoy in February and that may be part of what brings them back together.
Others gathered near the War Memorial said they were in Ottawa only this weekend to honor veterans who were removed from the area by police along with other protesters in February.
“It’s mainly like a parade to honor them for what they have done, they defended the right reasons,” said a protester in a black leather vest who would only identify himself as Mario.
Friday night rally is expected to be followed by an escort of hundreds of motorcycles in the center of Saturday, with a stop at the War Memorial and another rally on Parliament Hill.
Vehicles will not be allowed in an area that includes the war memorial and Parliament, police say, nor will they be allowed to stop along the route, but participants can walk in the area.
It is also an opportunity for Ottawa police to regain the trust and respect of the community, as it was heavily criticized during the February demonstration for allowing it to continue for so long before taking action.
For more than three weeks, protesters set up street camps in the center of the city, filled with large platforms decorated with messages speaking against vaccine orders, restrictions on COVID-19 and the prime minister.
“I think we have to wait and see.  Ottawa police have lost a lot of confidence last time.  “So this weekend is going to be a real test for them,” said Brian Latour, one of the organizers of a rally in Ottawa.
Some locals remember the last protest as a nightmare – a nightmare they do not want to experience again.
“Many of them are worried, some are scared and some are crazy,” said Mary Huang, president of the Centretown Community Association, which represents the neighborhood closest to Parliament.
He said neighbors were still injured after the protest.  The loud air winds that were heard all night long meant that many could not sleep and some people were scared when they left their homes, he said.
They are worried that this weekend will be repeated, before the residents even have a chance to recover, he said.
Ottawa police have vowed not to allow another “illegal occupation” of the city, that there will be no tolerance for a long-term protest, and that any camps will be dismantled.
By 4pm on Friday, city regulators said they had issued 185 tickets and towed 20 rally-related vehicles.
A statement on the Rolling Thunder website attributed to organizer Neil Sheard said the protesters planned to leave on Sunday and did not support “blockades, police obstruction, damage to property or hatred and harassment of residents”. Ottawa. “
The statement also encouraged supporters to follow the law and said police would be held accountable for their actions during the event.
“Finally, as it was seen during the legal protest in Ottawa, spread as much peace, love and patriotism as possible to your fellow Canadians,” the statement said.
This Canadian Press report was first published on April 29, 2022.