Officials in St. Thomas have asked anti-lockdown rally organizers to cancel an event planned for this weekend.
The Line Canada, a self-described civil liberties group behind last weekend's massive 'freedom rally' in Aylmer, intends to hold similar demonstrations Saturday in St. Thomas and Sarnia. Rally organizers estimate approximately 200 people will attend the St. Thomas event.
"We have asked rally organizers not to attend our city due to the current COVID-19 pandemic situation," St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston and Police Chief Chris Herridge said in a joint statement.
The pair stated officials are working "around the clock" to develop an operational plan to handle the protest of provincial COVID-19 restrictions.
"Our officers will be on the front line, keeping the peace and responding as required to criminal and provincial violations as they occur," said Preston and Herridge. "Police will be gathering information along the way as this investigation will not end when the protest ends. We will see this through laying all applicable charges with the proper evidence to support them."
St. Thomas residents are asked to stay away from the rally and take a "common sense" approach.
Demonstrators will be meeting at Memorial Arena at 11 a.m. before travelling north along the Whistle Stop Trail to Moore Street.
The mayor of Woodstock issued a similar plea to residents of that city not to attend an unrelated anti-lockdown rally planned for Sunday.
Last Saturday, nearly 2,000 people not wearing masks or physical distancing attended a similar protest in Aylmer. The demonstration led to emergency road closures but was mostly peaceful with only two incidents reported to police – one between a reporter and a citizen and the other between a citizen and a protester. No arrests were made or charges laid.
