OTTAWA – Former “Liberty Convoy” protesters swore to reclaim National War Memorial with a ceremony at the cenotaph on Saturday, marking the first in a series of protests that are expected to clog the national capital throughout the weekend.
Speakers recounted how police removed protesters from the area after their three-week demonstration in Parliament Hillas hundreds of supporters gathered around the monument to listen.
As hundreds of protesters gathered at the memorial that became the focus of the early days of protests that closed downtown Ottawa for weeks in February, speakers recounted how police moved remove them from the scene at that time.
Supporters watched retired Afghanistan veteran Christopher Deering lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a remembrance ceremony.
Deering said he was arrested by police as part of their efforts to remove “Liberty Convoy” protesters from the core in February.
“After that, me and other peaceful citizens were thrown out of the city like garbage and told not to return to our nation’s capital,” Deering told the crowd on Saturday.
The group also caused problems with police erecting a fence around the monument in February after a woman insulted the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by standing on it during a Freedom Convoy protest. . Members of the protest who identified themselves as veterans then dismantled the fence and took it upon themselves to guard the mausoleum.
Speakers at the event also expressed their opposition to vaccine regulations, COVID-19 restrictions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, although supporters have been asked to remove them. obscene slogans aimed at the prime minister during the event.
The ceremony was part of the “Rolling Thunder” rally, which was initially unclear about its purpose in Ottawa except to say it was held to “peacefully celebrate our freedom.”
At the ceremony, the majority raised their hands when a speaker asked who had joined the convoy rally in February.
That protest lasted three weeks, when large oil rigs and other trucks rammed in front of Parliament Hill and erected barricades that blocked traffic.
Officials described downtown Ottawa as falling into lawlessness during the convoy protest, and the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act in an attempt to dislodge them. and similar protesters blocked border crossings.
Eventually, with the help of hundreds of policemen from other parts of the country, the Ottawa police removed them from the streets of the capital.
A similar police action took place on Friday night when a convoy of large rigs, campers and other trucks attempted to reach Parliament Hill. Police lined up, wearing helmets and shields, to push protesters back and move large vehicles out of the area just east of the parliament compound.
Seven people have been arrested on various charges, including assaulting a police officer, the Ottawa Police Department said. At least one truck also had its windows broken. The force said Saturday it had towed 24 vehicles as of the night before.
Just before Saturday’s ceremony, a small group of protesters gathered across the street from the memorial and chanted “go home” to show that protesters were not welcome back into the city.
The police formed a horizontal line between the two groups to keep the peace.
“The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is not the right place to express partisan political views, it is just wrong. That’s not what we stand for,” protester Chris Anderson said in an interview. Anderson said he is a veteran, having spent seven years as a paramedic.
“In a way, to me, they are poisoning the monument,” said Anderson, who wore a rainbow t-shirt in support of some city dwellers who felt unsafe due to the protests.
After the ceremony, the crowd moved south to Elgin Street to watch a caravan of motorcyclists pass by while police prevented people from crossing the street. Police have arrested someone in the area for violating the conditions of release related to their arrest in the Freedom Convoy, which stipulates that they are not allowed to return to Ottawa.
The motorbikes were originally intended to drive over Parliament Hill and park near the war monument, but police banned them from entering the area.
“Police will maintain a dense presence throughout the downtown area,” the local force said in a statement on Twitter on Saturday morning. “The tractor is part of the deployment plan. All appropriate execution options will be used. ”
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said police were taking a “strong stance” to prevent the kind of protracted protests that plagued Ottawa in February. It was the first step to restoring confidence in the force, which has drawn fierce criticism for letting the protest drag on for so long, he said.
“Obviously what happened in February caused a lot of harm to a lot of people,” Watson said.
The protest is expected to continue with another rally on Parliament Hill on Saturday afternoon, featuring controversial speaker Chris Sky, whose real name is Chris Saccoccia.
Sky, a figure in the anti-mask movement, has been noted for making anti-Semitic, Muslim and racist comments, according to the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.
Rolling Thunder organizer Neil Sheard stayed away from that rally, which was organized by partner organization Freedom Fighters Canada but featured on Rolling Thunder’s journey.
© 2022 Canadian Press
