According to Ottawa police, a motorist was apprehended after pulling up on a sidewalk near Elgin and Queen streets. The suspect was charged with reckless driving and was discovered to have bail restrictions coming from charges obtained during the February occupation not to enter Ottawa. The veteran’s ceremony ended just after 11:30 a.m., as fans walked to the Wellington Street area to witness a motorcycle procession pass by.
Pte. Christopher Deering (Ret.) put a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to “reclaim” the war memorial after veterans who participated in the February Freedom Convoy rally were purportedly taken from the site by police along with the rest of the demonstrators. To allow the motorcyclists to pass, police established a line to keep hundreds of demonstrators away from the street.
According to Ottawa police, one guy was detained after an undisclosed incident on Elgin Street.
Saturday morning, a few thousand demonstrators and counter-protesters gathered at the War Memorial. Organizers originally requested that supporters remove the “F*** Trudeau” banners because “we want to be an example to young people.”
“We are dealing with an information war, plain and simple,” organizer Neil Sheard told the gathering. “If there are any mainstream media out there, you need to start telling the truth,” he added to loud applause. A second speaker, identified only as “Chris,” reported being detained by police when the demonstration was destroyed in February.
“On February 18, I spoke with police to clarify who we were. I was pulled… assaulted, kneed, and refused medicine. Following that, I and (other) peaceful residents were tossed away like rubbish.” When a speaker appealed for applause for US billionaire Elon Musk’s purchase of the Twitter system, the audience erupted. The audience also erupted in support of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. One speaker, described as the group’s “padre,” stated that he felt alone until the trucks arrived and that the provincial mandates would not have been removed without the trucker convoy.
The absence of violence during the convoy protest, according to the padre, was an act of God “and holy angels.”
The “Rolling Thunder” protest enters its second day on Saturday, with a multitude of events taking place in the downtown area. Before 9 a.m., bikers began congregating at St. Laurent Shopping Centre to prepare for a driveby at the War Memorial to honor Canada’s war dead. Around 11 a.m., the cyclists are scheduled to pass by the memorial. They were supposed to leave the city by midday.
Provincial police said this morning that a number of Queensway exits were closed until further notice. According to police, around 500 motorbikes and automobiles are anticipated to participate in the event this weekend. The organizing organization has not said explicitly what the gatherings’ aims are, but says on its website that they will “spread as much peace, love, and patriotism to your fellow Canadians as possible.”
