Battle of Billings Bridge - Day 17
Local residents staged a major counter-protest
FEB 2022
2/13/20221 min read
Sean Burges, a professor at Carleton University, said he made a Facebook post calling for community members to join him to prevent convoy protesters from getting downtown. "It was regular moms and dads, and grandpas and grandmas … coming out and just saying 'Enough. Protest all you want, but you've overtaken the city and you're abusing people. It's time to stop,'" he said. Burges said the counter-protest began with just 15 people at about 9:00 a.m., growing to a crowd of hundreds over the course of nine hours
"We really did feel like we had been abandoned by city leadership, by the police, by multiple levels of government"
Robert Ramsay, who lives in Old Ottawa South, was also at the so-called battle. He said community members like himself were forced to take matters into their own hands during the third weekend of the anti-pandemic rule and anti-government protest.
As the sun was going down and the temperatures dipped, the truck drivers in the convoy were permitted a “negotiated retreat” — they were allowed to leave one at a time, but only after their trucks had been stripped of flags, and “Freedom Convoy” stickers, and surrendered any jerry cans.
“The look on their faces when they were taking down their flags was one of defeat, not of pride,” said Harden. Sean Devine went to the blockade with the intent of speaking to as many people in the convoy as possible.
“I don’t want to take away anyone’s right to protest, but I wanted them to hear that they’re having a negative impact on the citizens of Ottawa,” said Devine, who said about two-thirds of drivers in the convoy agreed to talk.
“Most of the people I spoke to were surprised at the resistance. I think the convoy is under the false impression that they have unwavering popular support. It helps them to see opposition.”