‘Rolling Thunder’ organizer promises peaceful rally but won’t speak to controversial guest


The organizer of the upcoming “Rolling Thunder” bike convoy to Ottawa is promising a peaceful event this weekend, with possibly more than a thousand people arriving for a multi-day rally.

Speaking on Newstalk 580 CFRA The Evan Solomon Showorganizer Neil Sheard said the event is meant to “take back” the National War Memorial.

“This is a bike rally to help heal and bring that dignity back to that monument that was desecrated by the powers that be,” he said.

Sheard said the construction of fencing around the National War Memorial during the Freedom Convoy occupation in January and February was a “desecration” of the monument. The fences were raised following a video of a woman jumping over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the first weekend of the convoy protest and later urinating in the snow on top of the monument.

Sheard said they quickly yelled at the woman who jumped on the grave and believed the dogs were responsible for the urine stains.

“We were protecting it,” he said, of the veterans who guarded the monument as the occupation dragged on. “So the powers that be decide to go in and physically remove the veterans from the sacred land.”

Police officers, authorized by the Emergencies Act, moved on February 18 and 19 to evict convoy protesters and others from their entrenched positions within the city center, including at the National War Memorial. This came three weeks after the first protesters arrived and began parking large vehicles along Wellington Street and throughout the center. The operation led to dozens of arrests and dozens of vehicles were seized. Wellington Street opposite Parliament remains closed to vehicles.

Ottawa police are banning vehicles from a downtown area this weekend. Sheard said the group has a route planned for their rally.

The motor vehicle exclusion zone, as delineated by the City of Ottawa, for the ‘Rolling Thunder’ motorcycle rally from April 29 to May 1. (City of Ottawa)

“We’ve been working with the city, we’ve been working with the police, and now we have a route, and it’s all figured out,” he said. “We are not going to surround the monument. We’re still going to do a drive-by. We’re going to keep the bikes under control, bring them in, do a little bike salute driving down Mackenzie, cross the bridge at Mackenzie, go back to Rideau, and then get out of town.”

According to an itinerary posted on the “Rolling Thunder” website, there will be a rally and march on Parliament Hill on Friday at 6 pm The cyclists will meet at the St. Laurent Mall at 9 am on Saturday. At 10 am, there will be a Veterans for Freedom service at the National War Memorial. Cyclists will roll through the city between 11 am and 12 pm A second rally on Parliament Hill is scheduled for 2 pm and then a bike show is scheduled for 6 pm, with a location to be determined. They will attend the Capital City Bikers Church in Vanier on Sunday morning.

In response to concerns about noise, which was pervasive during the “Freedom Convoy” occupation, Sheard said there would be no bikes circulating at night.

“They’re coming in, they’re running, they’re going for a ride and then they’re done,” he said. “Some will stay in the city to spend the night and go shopping in their beautiful city. Some will go home.”

NOTORIOUS FIGURE CHRIS SKY LISTED AS ‘SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER’

When asked about the presence of notorious far-right figure Chris “Sky” Saccoccia on the itinerary, Sheard stated that he was not involved in the event.

“He has nothing to do with this,” Sheard said. “He is not a feature in this. He has nothing to do with this.

The “Rolling Thunder” website schedule says that on April 30 there will be a rally and march on Parliament Hill with “special guest speaker Chris Sky.” He is the only person named in the itinerary.

Sheard, who insisted the event is “purely about veterans,” told Solomon that Saccoccia would not be speaking at the National War Memorial but “might be speaking somewhere else” on Saturday.

“He is not part of what is happening at the monument,” Sheard said.

Saccoccia has been a leading figure in the protests against the COVID-19 mandates. He has been arrested in Winnipeg and Thunder Bay. for violating public health orders and was charged in Toronto with making death threatsassaulting a peace officer and dangerous operation of a means of transportation in 2021.

The Canadian Anti-Hate Network has also documented that Saccoccia has a history of intolerant commentsincluding Holocaust denial, racism and homophobia.

Sheard insisted that Saccoccia is not involved in the veterans’ rally.

“Chris Sky has nothing to do with what’s going on on the veterans side,” he said. “There is a list of things that will happen that day. He is not a special guest of ours. He is not part of Veterans for Freedom. This has nothing to do with Chris Sky.”

Under pressure, Sheard acknowledged that it was “part of what was going on that day” but insisted there was no connection between him and Saccoccia. Sheard finally said that Saccoccia has free speech.

“Freedom of expression in this country, my friend. That’s why veterans died, so he can say what he wants and you can say what you want,” Sheard said.

Ottawa police say they are prepared for the weekend. Acting Chief Steve Bell warned participants that they would be held accountable if they broke the law.

“I want to be clear with both the organizers and the participants: they will be held accountable for their actions before, during and after the events,” Bell said.

Echoing Bell’s comment, a statement from Sheard on behalf of “Rolling Thunder” said that all participants are urged to abide by the law and report any illegal actions to the police.

“RCMP, OPP and the municipal police services will be held accountable in the courts of justice for their actions before, during and after the events,” the statement said.



Reference-ottawa.ctvnews.ca

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