Plaque commemorates ‘Battle of Billings Bridge’ during ‘Freedom Convoy’

February 9, 2023 Canuck

A watershed moment of citizen resistance to the ‘Freedom Convoy’ last year has been celebrated with a commemorative plaque.

The plaque commemorates the so-called ‘Battle of Billings Bridge’ – when hundreds of people blocked an intersection to prevent convoy protesters from driving downtown on the third weekend of the occupation.

The plaque is designed to look exactly like an official city of Ottawa plaque and is posted near Riverside Drive and Bank Street.

“At this spot on February 13, 2022, everyday citizens and Ram Ranch Resistance members peacefully stood in the way of those who had trampled citizens’ right to peace, free movement and free expression,” the plaque reads.

“This plaque commemorates the ordinary people who did something extraordinary when their leaders would not.”

A plaque commemorating the ‘Battle of Billings Bridge’ during the ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests erected at the bridge. The plaque is designed to look like an official city of Ottawa commemoration. (Tyler Fleming/CTV News Ottawa)

The plaque is made of brass and is glued onto the bridge with construction adhesive. It’s not clear who’s responsible for making it or how long it will be up.

The Billings Bridge protest lasted for hours and turned into a symbolic act of resistance from residents who were fed up with the convoy’s occupation of downtown.

Hundreds of volunteers, including some local politicians, gathered to block about 35 trucks that had been headed to join protesters downtown

The truck drivers were eventually allowed to leave one at a time, but only after their trucks were stripped of flags, jerry cans and any ‘Freedom Convoy’ paraphernalia.

– with files from Tyler Fleming, CTV News Ottawa

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