The Rolling Thunder rally is due to end today after arriving in Ottawa on Friday afternoon, leading large crowds to the city center, where residents are still tense after a three-week occupation in February.
A spokeswoman for Freedom Fighters Canada, one of the groups organizing the weekend’s demonstration, said the church service, scheduled for 10:30 a.m., was the only event related to the rally to be held today.
Protest organizers say the rally was organized to oppose COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Read more: Rolling Thunder protesters gather in front of parliament as a police operation
Ottawa police arrested three people on Saturday, although protests during the day remained largely peaceful.
In the morning, crowds took part in a ceremony in front of the War Memorial, followed by a motorcycle ride and an afternoon demonstration on Parliament Hill.
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UPDATE: Today, the Ottawa Police Department and its partners continued their improved operational position in the city center to manage protests and events. (1/3)
– Ottawa Police (@OttawaPolice) May 1, 2022
The forces said a woman was arrested for attacking police on Elgin Street, where the motorcycle rally took place, and a man was arrested for violating conditions stemming from the February convoy of Freedom Convoy, which took over the city for about three weeks.
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Another man faces several charges after allegedly claiming to have rushed a Ontario provincial police motorcycle, including dangerous driving, assault with weapons and violation of conditions stemming from the February occupation of the Freedom Convoy, police said. service in Ottawa in a press release.
Protesters gather and wave flags during a demonstration, part of a convoy-style protest that participants call “Rotating Thunder,” in Ottawa, Saturday, April 30, 2022. CANADIAN PRESS / Sean Kilpatrick
An incident of “motivated malice in a religious institution” is also under investigation, forces tweeted Sunday morning, although police did not say whether the incident was related to a weekend rally.
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Ottawa police have called for support from the RCMP, the Ontario Provincial Police and a number of municipal forces. More than 560 tickets for various violations have been issued since Friday and dozens of vehicles have been towed, police said.
Steve Bell, the temporary chief of the Ottawa police service, warned the protesters that they would not be allowed to launch a long-term occupation this time. But some citizens, including the president of the Sentville Community Association, Mary Huang, say the real test will be to see if people are actually leaving town on Sunday afternoon.
Enforcement action from 7 a.m. Friday on #OttCity demonstrations:
▶ ️761 parking tickets
▶ ️39 towed vehicles
▶ ️10 tickets (noise, smoking, public urination, busy highway, abuse of access permit. # OttNews pic.twitter.com/bEPgUrseAG
– Statute of Ottawa (@OttawaBylaw) May 1, 2022
© 2022 The Canadian Press
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