Ottawa will not tolerate another occupation, police chief warns biker convoy

Ottawa’s interim police chief is warning a planned biker convoy that the city will not tolerate any sort of longer-term occupation of the capital.

Ottawa’s interim police chief is warning a planned biker convoy that the city will not tolerate any sort of longer-term occupation of the capital.

Interim police chief Steve Bell delivered the warning this morning, as hundreds of bikers prepare to descend on the city starting Friday.

Bell says organizers of what is being billed as the “Rolling Thunder” convoy have said they plan to leave the capital by Sunday, and the chief adds his officers are ready to act if they see signs of encampments or other plans to stay.

The pending arrival of the motorcycle convoy has put Ottawa residents on guard after the so-called “Freedom Convoy” occupied city streets for three weeks earlier this year.

The occupation ended only after officers cracked down on the protesters, detaining and arresting dozens of people.

Bell says Ottawa police learned a lot from that experience, and his officers will arrest any “Freedom Convoy” protesters who have been ordered by the courts to stay away from the city as a condition of their release.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2022.

The Canadian Press