VICTORY: Rolling Thunder Ottawa Veterans Rally Moving Forward, Despite Government Attacks (Exclusive Interview)

Controversial Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson has turned his back on Canada’s military veterans and maligned beloved service members. With the help of the mainstream media, Mayor Watson is trying to stop this weekend’s veteran-organized motorcycle ride, ‘Rolling Thunder‘ in downtown Ottawa. The rally is modeled after the US Rolling Thunder, where veterans ride en masse to honor and show their gratitude and support to fellow service members. The mayor and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fear the rally will draw attention to their recent mistreatment of the veterans. 

State Desecrated Veterans War Memorial

The “Rolling Thunder Canada” convoy plans to loop through downtown, stopping at the National War Memorial. Veterans want to reconsecrate the War Memorial desecrated by Ottawa and Canadian authorities during the Trucker’s Freedom Convoy. Police desecrated their monument by erecting a seven-foot-high fence around the memorial and the cenotaph during the protests. As a result, the public and, more importantly, veterans do not have access to the monument. 

RAIR Foundation USA has the honor of interviewing Rolling Thunder organizer and veteran Neil Sheard (see full video interview below), who explained,

It’s all about the monument. It’s not a protest. Because when the powers that be decided to put a big monster fence around our monument, that’s ours. That’s a veterans monument. That’s our that takes receipts for all the people that died from the Boer War to off to Afghanistan that takes receipts.

Sheard, who spent 12 years in the military and did two tours in Afghanistan, reports that police informed him there were no plans to take down the fence around the veteran’s memorial. At first, he thought maybe the state was protecting the monument from groups like Antifa, who was desecrating monuments and statutes around the country. However, this was not the case; there were no threats.

State Physically Attacks Veterans

In response, a group of veterans dismantled the fence and piled it neatly together so the city could come in and take it out. The veterans came to an agreement with the police that instead of a fence, they would take shifts and protect their monument 24 hours a day. As Sheard explains, much like the United States military guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with zero exception.

Veterans were sleeping in tents near the memorial, taking shifts to guard the monument. However, this infuriated the state, which sent officers “to physically remove veterans off that sacred ground,” explains Sheard. They pushed the veterans right off our monument, which we had been protecting 24/7.” Officers, “zip-tied” veterans, “and that’s disgraceful,” exclaimed Sheard.

Veteran’s Rolling Thunder Rally

Veterans plan to lay a wreath on their monument this weekend that lets veterans know “Canada has not forgotten you.” Veterans will begin at 10 am by singing the national anthem and having a Chaplain give his blessings and says some words about “the people who gave their lives.” There will be a few speakers that follow. Then at “11:11, we will place the wreath on the monument and have a minute of silence.” reports Sheard.

The man laying the wreath at the memorial is an injured veteran who served in Afghanistan, Chris Dearing. Dearing was unlawfully beaten and abducted by police during the Truckers Freedom Protest. The Veterans want Dearing to lay the wreath at their monument, explaining,

…we don’t want some politician. We want an actual veteran to take that back. Plain and simple.”

Sheard hopes that “the city will come to its senses and let the bikes roll around,” like they allow Rolling Thunder riders in the states to do. All we want, explains Sheard, is to:

pay respect to the veterans, to the monument to the people that gave, that sacrificed everything. The ultimate sacrifice gave their lives to keep their freedom. And that’s all we wanted to do. Come in, drive around it. drive out of town, plain and simple.

That’s all we’re coming for. We’re not stopping. We’re not protesting. We are there to give respect and dignity back to the veterans and that monument.

Police Ban Send Notice Baning Bikers Rally Honoring Veterans

Sheard and other organizers for the event were initially permitted by OPS (Ontario Public Service) to establish a route that would loop by the Ottawa War Memorial but not go onto Wellington street in front of Parliament.

But on Saturday night, city police sent an unlawful notice informing organizers they would no longer allow any vehicles near the National War Memorial or downtown. Furthermore, the Ottawa police announced the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police, and other city police services would send officers to help enforce the new rules.

Rolling Thunder exposed the police document, which blocked the event for honoring Veterans.

Ottawa’s mayor Jim Watson claimed on Twitter Sunday night that the “press release is false,” despite a lawyer and producer for Fox News, Gregg Re, claiming it is an authentic document sent by OPS. On Monday, Watson deleted his tweet without explanation.

On Monday, April 25, Ottawa’s interim police chief, Steve Bell, threatened the organizers and participants of the veterans ‘Rolling Thunder” ride that they would be held accountable for their actions. He warned participants of the event that they were responsible for their actions and the consequences of those actions.

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

Organizers Announce They Are Working With Police on Rally Route

As of today, April 26, Canadian media outlet, Live From The Shed reports that police and veterans appear to have decided on an acceptable route. Rolling Thunder will post the route on their website in the following days.

Sheard hopes there will be a large turnout this weekend to support the Veterans. He is asking participants to please come in peace and listen fully to the authority’s requests:

If anybody’s coming in on the bike man, and they said, You can’t use this road, you can’t. If you want to come in and support the veterans come in with peace and love in your heart, man, because I know the biker community. They’re wonderful people. They will give the shirt off their backs. It’s doctors and lawyers and nurses and factory workers and carpenters. 

Just come in with peace and follow the rules. Follow the rules and be nice to the people of Ottawa. They’re nice people. And if you see somebody wearing a mask, guess what? A veteran gave them the choice to make that decision to wear it. So don’t be ragging on them, don’t be, don’t be, don’t be calling them. Sheep thing. They’ve been programmed for the last two years. It’s gonna take a lot for people to take them off. All right, so they have a choice. And veterans gave you that choice.

Sheard also made a statement to Ottawa’s mayor Watson who has gone to great lengths to disparage the Veterans and their rally,

To the mayor of Ottawa, if you’re watching this man.

Remember that we are people. Canadians are upset. We’re coming in peace just for the memorial. Let us do a ride just give us the top of them. Just give us a top of Elgin St. and be done with this.

Plain and simple. And anybody that’s watching this, Remember God loves you. And he’s coming with us. All right. Take care Bro.

Watch RAIR Foundation USA’s interview with Rolling Thunder organizer and veteran Neil Sheard about the demonstration and government attacks:

Media distorts Veteran Rally Organizers’ Words.

Canadian left-wing media has released multiple articles claiming the ‘Rolling Thunder’ convoy is threatening a ‘free-for-all’ if police banned the rally in downtown Ottawa. Unfortunately, the media distorted the organizer’s words to create a threatening tone. The organizers clearly warned that without authorities issuing a clear route for the bikers to follow, it would cause traffic and safety issues. In other words, the Veterans did not threaten violence or any illegal activity. On the contrary, they try to keep bikers, police, and residents safe.

As Sheard explained to RAIR, as a soldier, he is always concerned about citizens’ safety. He worries about groups like Antifa attacking the Veterans or if someone decides to take a car and run into the bikes. There are “looney tunes out there” that attacked innocent Canadians in the past, he reports. So having a clear route that is safe and difficult for people to target is a priority for organizers.

Media uses left-wing radicals to malign Veterans Motorcycle Ride

The media has given radical left-wing organizations and individuals an outlet to smear the Rolling Thunder Ottawa motorcycle ride and the veterans involved. For example, Community Solidarity Ottawa, a subversive left-wing organization, attacked the rally and tried to conflate the group with the Truckers Freedom Convoy.

The group’s antisemitic pro-Palestinian organizer, Hassan Husseini, gave multiple interviews to Canada’s mainstream media (Toronto Sun, Ottawa Citizen, The Province, iHeart Radio, CTV News, Windsor Star, etc.) attacking the Veterans. However, instead of the media questioning Husseini about his radical anti-Jewish and anti-Canadian statements and activities, they supply him with a platform to smear Canada’s veterans.

RAIR Foundation USA will be in Ottawa this weekend to bring you complete coverage of the Veteran’s Rolling Thunder ride and tribute to the nation’s heroes.