Biker Convoy a ‘Go’ in Ottawa, Organizer Says, as City Councillor Concerned About ‘Trojan Horse’

A protester holds a sign on Wellington St. in Ottawa during the Freedom Convoy protest, on Feb. 12, 2022. Noé Chartier/The Epoch Times

A day after Ottawa police announced vehicle-based protests would not be allowed to enter the downtown area, the organizer of the Rolling Thunder motorcycle convoy said the event will still take place over the coming weekend.

“Rolling Thunder Ottawa is still a go,” said organizer Neil Sheard in an April 25 video, indicating he’s been working with the city on the details.

“So remember when you’re coming in: peace, love, respect, follow the rules of the traffic, all the highway codes. Be nice people. Be the people you are.”

The event organizers also released a statement saying they’re “cautiously optimistic” that the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) will cooperate to ensure the safe flow of traffic.

The statement also seeks to reassure the city’s residents about the intention of the convoy, and warns about potential provocateurs who could attempt to tarnish its image.

“We do not support blockades, obstruction of police performing their duties, damage to property, or hate & vitriol directed to the residents of Ottawa,“ it said. ”Lastly, as seen during the lawful protest in Ottawa, spread as much peace, love, and patriotism to your fellow Canadians as possible.”

The “lawful protest” is a reference to the Freedom Convoy civil disobedience action that took place in downtown Ottawa in February, which detractors and the OPS viewed as anything but lawful.

On April 24, the OPS said that protests involving vehicles are not allowed in designated city areas “as a result of the unlawful protest” in February.

Some Ottawa city councillors fear the biker convoy has a secret agenda and will turn into another Freedom Convoy protest.

“I will not have our community re-terrorized. I do not want our children, seniors, and other vulnerable residents re-traumatized. Our businesses should not be forced to close again,” said Catherine McKenney on Twitter.

“I think there’s a significant concern on the part of residents, and I share it to a certain extent, that the motorcycle-based veterans convoy is a Trojan Horse with multiple groups who have different objectives,” said councillor Jeff Leiper during a meeting of the OPS board on April 25.

The Epoch Times contacted Leiper for comment but didn’t hear back before publication time.

OPS interim chief Steve Bell attended the board meeting and presented his plan to manage the Rolling Thunder event.

“The joint position of the Ottawa Police Service and the City of Ottawa is that no motor vehicle protests, rallies, or events will be allowed in the designated downtown areas. This includes areas near and around Parliament Hill and the National War Memorial,” he said.

Bell said it was too early to talk about the expected number of participants and noted that it’s “extremely challenging” to know the main objective of the event due to many different groups being involved.

The Epoch Times contacted Sheard to learn about the objectives but didn’t hear back.

A number of protests have sprung up in Canada in recent months centred on the theme of “freedom” and reclamation of lost civil liberties due to pandemic restrictions and other government measures.

One of the partner organizations involved in Rolling Thunder is Freedom Fighters Canada, which demands the end of “all government mandates; the end of all tyrannical bills and legislation.”

The event’s website lists a rally on Parliament Hill on Friday, April 29, and on April 30 a service at the National War Memorial nearby followed by another rally on Parliament Hill. There is also a church service planned for May 1 at the Capital City Bikers Church in Vanier, a neighbourhood a few kilometres east of downtown Ottawa.