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As convoys rolled through London against COVID-19 measures over the past few weekends, London Police are reminding participants to heed road safety and respect local businesses ahead of another potential rally.
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March 02, 2022 • 6 days ago • 2 minutes read London Police closed roads around City Hall and near Victoria Hospital on Saturday February 12, 2022 as an anti-government and anti-restrictions convoy drove through the city for the second weekend in a row.
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As convoys rolled through London against COVID-19 measures over the past few weekends, London Police are reminding participants to heed road safety and respect local businesses ahead of another potential rally.
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Inspired by the so-called Freedom Convoy, which occupied part of downtown Ottawa for three weeks and blocked Windsor’s Ambassador Bridge for a week, protesters drove in vehicles decorated with Canadian flags and signs denouncing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau through London for the past four Saturdays.
London Police have not provided an escort for the convoys, but officers routinely block entrances to London Health Sciences Center hospitals to ensure their operations are not disrupted during demonstrations. Some streets in the city center were also closed to vehicles.
“The (London Police Service) recognizes everyone’s right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, but the rights of the general public, all road users, residents and businesses must also be respected,” police said in an emailed statement.
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“Our goal is to maintain the safe flow of traffic and, in the event of significant delays, The London Police Service is committed to restoring traffic flow as safely as possible.”
Similar convoys have also appeared in southwestern Ontario in recent weekends.
It’s unclear if demonstrations will continue after the province lifted most remaining COVID restrictions earlier this week, including scrapping vaccine certificates and limiting indoor carrying capacity.
London Police have used social media to alert the public to the convoys that appear to be heading north from the south end of the city, and to provide information about road closures and diversions.
But without a police escort, the convoy often breaks up when vehicles separate at red lights.
No major problems were reported during the protests, with the exception of a confrontation last Saturday between a group of counter-protesters trying to block the convoy on Richmond Street, police said.
Video of the incident released on social media shows more than a dozen counter-protesters – some of them holding signs and banners – standing on the street at Richmond and Central Avenue before police force them back onto the sidewalk.
“Look at these idiots. . . . Unreal. And we are the bad guys?” says a woman in the video about the counter-demonstrators.
