Hundreds of people gathered in Chilliwack as part of the Fraser Valley Freedom Rally on Saturday afternoon (April 3).
The large group, protesting COVID-19 restrictions arrived at Central Community Park around noon and then about two hours later marched through Five Corners toward Chilliwack General Hospital.
They carried signs reading “COVID PCR test is fraud,” “We love our immune system, let us use it,” and “No more lockdowns.”
The protesters are from throughout the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley. Some folks came out from Vancouver for the Fraser Valley Freedom Rally, while others are from the Chilliwack area.
One Chilliwack RCMP officer on scene said he saw some “familiar” faces in the crowd.
As the group filled the sidewalk along Yale Road and marched towards Chilliwack General Hospital, many drivers honked in support, while at the same time pedestrians could be seen shaking their heads as they watched the crowd pass by.
The group was peaceful, said RCMP. But according to one downtown Chilliwack business owner, some of the people rallying were causing problems at locations along Mill Street.
Some anti-maskers tried to go inside Harvest Café and were “berating” staff, said owner Ron Romeyn.
This is not the first rally organized by the same people. According to the group’s Facebook page, they were in Vancouver yesterday (April 2) for the Stand Up For Small Businesses Vancouver March.
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Hundreds of people march along Yale Road near Hodgins Avenue during the Fraser Valley Freedom Rally on Saturday, April 3, 2021. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)
A protester holds a sign on Yale Road near Hodgins Avenue during the Fraser Valley Freedom Rally on Saturday, April 3, 2021. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)
Hundreds of people march along Yale Road near Hodgins Avenue during the Fraser Valley Freedom Rally on Saturday, April 3, 2021. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)
A protester holds a sign on Yale Road near Hodgins Avenue during the Fraser Valley Freedom Rally on Saturday, April 3, 2021. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)
A car sits in a parking lot near Central Community Park during the Fraser Valley Freedom Rally on Saturday, April 3, 2021. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)
