The Rolling Thunder rally is set to end today after arriving in Ottawa on Friday afternoon, bringing large crowds to a downtown core that remains tense after three weeks in February. Saturday’s protests remained largely peaceful, with crowds attending a ceremony at the War Memorial in the morning, followed by a motorcycle ride and an afternoon rally on Parliament Hill. Ottawa police called for support from the RCMP, OPP and a number of municipal forces. Steve Bell, the city’s interim police chief, has warned protesters that they will not be allowed to start a long occupation this time. But the president of the Centerville Community, Mary Huang, says the real test will be to see if people do leave. Police say more than 560 tickets have been issued on Friday, dozens of vehicles have been towed and several protesters have been accused of alleged offenses involving police attack. A spokeswoman for Freedom Fighters Canada, one of the groups organizing the events, said the church service was the only one scheduled for today. This Canadian Press report was first published on May 1, 2022.
