Ottawa police are preparing for a new protest that will take place in the city center this weekend.
Forces are preparing for an event called the Rolling Thunder, which could see protesters invade downtown Ottawa between April 29th and 30th.
Ottawa police said the protesters would arrive between Friday and Saturday.
The President of the Ottawa Police Services Council, Count. Eli El-Chantiri said the protest would be a “convoy of motorcyclists”.
To prepare for the event, the Ottawa Police Department will ban vehicles from downtown Ottawa and increase the number of officers patrolling the weekend.
Read more: Convoy organizer warns of “free for all” if police ban protest from downtown Ottawa
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Interim chief Steve Bell acknowledged that the events of February had caused “injuries” and said there was a need for “healing” between residents and police.
He said the protesters would be “responsible” for their actions.
“We’re a tired city,” Bell said. “We had too much of this kind of activity in and around and on our streets, especially in the city center.”
He said some of those planning to come to Ottawa over the weekend have “determined the need to attend the military monument and illuminate it again by laying a wreath and repairing any damage they believe may have been done during the war.” of the convoy and the abolition of this illegal occupation. “
He said it was “extremely challenging” to identify a single reason for the protest.
“Because the groups have visited our city and other cities, there doesn’t seem to be a single central focus or single goal for them,” Bell said. “There are many different groups that come and get together at the same time.”
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The Rolling Thunder protest follows the Freedom Convoy, which has occupied the area around Parliament Hill for most of February.
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During the event, the area was full of people and trucks carrying placards and flags decorated with curses aimed at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The protests had a major impact on the people of Ottawa.
Officials described a state of “lawlessness” in the area, as regulations had not been enforced by police for three weeks and the sound of air horns could be heard at any time of the day or night.
Police said they had “adjusted” their approach to all demonstrations, protests, events and rallies after the convoy.
Read more: Where does “freedom” come from here? Convoy protests in Canada are over, but anger remains
“As a result of the illegal protest, the position of the city of Ottawa is that protests with motor vehicles, rallies or events in certain central areas of the city will not be allowed,” police said in a statement.
The designated area includes the Parliament Hill and the National War Memorial.
Ottawa Police will also work with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Ontario Police to manage the event.
During a meeting of the Ottawa Police Services Council on Tuesday, Count. Jeff Leper acknowledged that there was a “trust issue” between police and residents around police protests.
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Police said “every organizer of each event will be responsible for his actions before, during and after the events.”
Police also said they had approached the organizers to find out the plans.
“We do this for every event, from football matches, rallies to demonstrations,” police said.
– with files from The Canadian Press
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