By Don Urquhart, Times-Chronicle
The Royal Canadian Legion has sharply condemned the actions of protestors who defiled the National War Memorial in Ottawa during the ongoing trucker rally.
Protestors were seen dancing on the grave of the unknown soldier and urinating at the War Memorial.
“It’s deplorable, these guys are fighting for freedom and then they do something like that to the people that gave them the freedom they’ve already got,” said Lyle Kent, President of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 173 Osoyoos.
“They’re taking everybody else’s freedom away from them so they can have some freedom. We all think it’s disgraceful. It’s right out of whack I don’t know what they’re doing.”
Kent feels that the actual truckers convoy and what they set out to do “has been hijacked by a bunch of, I don’t know what you want to call them, low-lifes or something,” he said adding that they appear to have developed some kind of “mob mentality”.
From Ottawa Bruce Julian, Dominion President of The Royal Canadian Legion said in a statement: “The Royal Canadian Legion strongly condemns the shocking actions of protestors who encroached upon the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Saturday.”
“They jumped on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and parked vehicles on the surrounding grounds. This sacred memorial site commemorates those who fought and fell for the very freedoms that allow people in Canada the right to protest peacefully.
“We are dismayed and saddened by this overt lack of respect,” he said.
On Sunday Ottawa police said investigations were underway relating to “the desecration” of the National War Memorial, the Terry Fox statue and in regards to threatening, illegal and intimidating behaviour towards police and other city workers.
The ‘Freedom Convoy’ that converged in Ottawa on the weekend started in response to the federal government’s move to require all Canadian truck drivers crossing the U.S. border be fully vaccinated. The U.S. government enacted a similar requirement.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance, the main advocacy body for truckers, has disavowed the protest, saying the vast majority – over 90 per cent – of its members are fully vaccinated and are continuing to work.
