There is a fence on Parliament Hill, a curfew around several blocks in the city center and hundreds of extra police officers on standby as Ottawa prepares for the Rolling Thunder on Friday afternoon.
The group was not clear about the purpose for which it is gathering, other than saying it would be in Ottawa to “celebrate our freedom peacefully.”
Hundreds of motorcyclists are expected to arrive on Friday before the rally on Saturday morning.  They plan to make a circle around the city center, with a stop at the National War Memorial and a march to a rally on Parliament Hill.
Vehicles participating in the rally will not be allowed to enter 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.
“We are not going to stop protesters from attending the nation’s capital to have their voices heard,” interim Ottawa police chief Steve Bell told reporters on Thursday.
Neil Sheard, one of the organizers of the protests against COVID-19 restrictions, had previously warned of “free for all” if police did not allow the group to bring their bicycles to the streets around Parliament.
Elgin Street Public School Principal Brian Begbie sent a note to parents Thursday from the Ottawa-Carleton County School Board, saying the board has contacted police to ensure concerns are addressed. school safety.
“We understand that many families had a difficult experience in February and may be worried about another downtown demonstration,” the note said, leading parents to liaise with community support organizations.
Protesters say they plan to leave the city on Sunday.
This has led to criticism that they may cut off a scheduled cycling fundraiser for the Eastern Ontario Children’s Hospital on the same day.  Rolling Thunder organizers have added a link to their site and are encouraging supporters to donate to CHEO.
Police said there would be no tolerance for a long -term protest such as the one that occupied the city center for weeks in February, and that any camps would be dismantled.
The actions of the Ottawa police have also been under tight control since February.  Chief Peter Sloly resigned and Bell said the service has learned a lot from experience.
The February siege – which ended after the federal government first invoked the emergency law and hundreds of police officers came in to disperse crowds, making dozens of arrests – halted traffic, shut down businesses and led to harassment allegations. and hate behavior.
Rolling Thunder works with many groups apparently affiliated with “Freedom Convoy”.
A statement from the group’s website attributed to Sheard stated that they did not support “blockades, obstruction of police duties, property damage or hatred and vitriol aimed at Ottawa residents”.
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.
Speaking at a Holocaust Remembrance Day event on Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trinto said people were “shocked and disappointed to see Nazi images displayed in our nation’s capital” in February.
This Canadian Press report was first published on April 29, 2022.