With the whole Freedom Convoy fiasco still fresh in our memories, things are ramping up for round two. The Freedom Convoy was a protest against public health mandates brought in by all levels of government in response to the Covid pandemic. Truckers that were mandated to get vaccinated in order to continue cross border transport, along with supporters occupied the downtown Ottawa area around Parliament starting on January 22nd. After the Federal government invoked the Emergencies Act, protestors were removed in a massive police operation on February 23rd. The whole month long situation raised the hackles of Canadians from both sides of the issue.
Fast forward to April and we see a new “thing” being organized. The reason I referred to the Rolling Thunder event as a “thing” is because it’s difficult to define. While event organizer Neil insists it is not a protest, but merely a biker event organized to pay respect to Canada’s veterans, others have had different opinions.
Have a listen to what organizer Neil had to say about the event:
https://www.facebook.com/neil.sheard.77/videos/675831843647738
Having joined the Facebook group “Rolling Thunder Ottawa OFFICIAL”, I can tell you that not everyone planning to be there this coming weekend shares this view. It seems that many different groups are planning to be there and have different ideas about what is going to happen. Regardless of what Rolling Thunder organizers say, this weekend will, without doubt, become Freedom Convoy 2.0.
If this whole situation could have been described as a smoldering pile of tinder, there is now no shortage of players tossing kindling on the pile. Neil claims to have received an email from Ottawa authorities informing him that no vehicles will be permitted in the downtown area that weekend. The fire is now stoked and ready to flare up.
What we have here folks, is a classic Mexican standoff. Ottawa officials want nothing to do with anything resembling a protest while those who obviously plan on protesting aren’t backing down either. Normally I would say that something has to give, but I highly doubt either side will. This means that the likelyhood of all H E double hockey sticks breaking loose is high.
So how does this relate to prepping? Well, it is obvious that political tensions are high in this country right now. This is leading to repeated instances of protest and has the potential to grow into widespread civil unrest. To date, and much to protestors credit, none of these protests have yet to devolve into full blown riots. Unfortunately, it is likely just a matter of time before something serious happens.
While removing yourself from areas where riots could break out is probably the best strategy for preppers, it goes a little beyond that. In response to the Freedom Convoy, the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act, widely referred to as the “nuclear option” of legislation. Since TPTB have shown just how far they are willing to go to quiet dissent, there’s really no reason to believe that they will pull out every piece of legislation they can, possibly introducing new laws. Here’s a term I’ve mentioned before on this blog…excessive rule of law. Sure, we all prepare for WROL, but how will we handle EROL?
Food for thought.