A couple of “outlaw bikers” were arrested on Monday in Sarnia, Ont., after police allege they disrupted a Remembrance Day ceremony being put on by a local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Sarnia police said wreath bearers were invited to march to a local cenotaph at Veteran’s Park as part of the annual parade.
Once the parade reached the park, wreath bearers waited for their names to be called so they could lay their wreaths down and this is when police say the trouble started.
“Several individuals, who were not part of the procession, inserted themselves into the wreath laying line,” a release from police noted.
“They were wearing clothing affiliated with an outlaw motorcycle gang (OMG) and carrying a black wreath in their club colours.”
Police say that officials from the legion asked the bikers to leave, but they refused and that was when officers were asked to get involved.
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The bikers refused to leave, according to police, who say they used foul and abusive language while “disrupting the solemnity of the Remembrance Day ceremony.”
Officers then escorted them back to the road, where police say the disruptive behaviour continued, which is when the cops arrested two people.
A 64-year-old man from Sarnia was charged with causing a disturbance and breach of court order and a 46-year-old woman from Sarnia has been charged with causing a disturbance and resisting arrest.
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley, who was at the ceremony, is uncertain about what transpired but said it was unfortunate that the ceremony was disrupted.
It was “regrettable that this incident happened at a Remembrance Day event, where the community had gathered to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for Canada,” he told Global News in an email.
Legion Branch 62 posted a statement on its Facebook page following the incident which noted that the wearing of OMC (Outlaw Motorcycle Club) or street gang colours is not allowed at legion events.
It noted that there are many motorcycle riders who do good across the country and are welcomed by the legion but the “policy means outlaw motorcycle members would need to remove their colours first.”
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