(OTTAWA) One of the organizers of the protest near Parliament Hill, Tamara Lich, arrested Thursday and charged with counseling others to commit mischief, will remain behind bars until at least Tuesday.
Posted at 9:39
Updated at 5:54 p.m.
Lich appeared Saturday before Ontario Court Judge Julie Bourgeois for her bail hearing. She announced that she will make her decision on Tuesday.
Her husband, Wayne Lich, testified that he came to Ottawa on a private flight. The trip would have cost $5,000, but the money was paid by “a very nice man” whom he doesn’t really know.
He surprised the judge when he said that the right to protest was protected by the First Amendment which, in fact, does not exist.
Ms. Bourgeois interrupted him: “First amendment? What is that ? »
Mr Lich replied that he was not following the policy and just wanted to make sure his wife was safe.
Tamara Lich wore a face covering in the dock at an Ottawa court. She says she wants to return to Alberta with her husband and children. She’s willing to post $5,000 bail, the maximum she says she can afford. She promised to leave Ottawa and give up being a spokesperson for the demonstration.
Pat King, another of the main organizers, will have to wait until early next week for his appearance.
The Ottawa Police Service says King faces charges of mischief, counseling others to commit mischief, disobeying a court order and counseling to obstruct work. to police.
King filmed his own arrest on Facebook on Friday.
He is one of more than 100 people arrested Friday following police operations to root out protesters who have paralyzed the heart of the city of Ottawa for nearly four weeks.
Another organizer, Chris Barber, had also been arrested. He also faces charges of counseling others to commit mischief, disobeying a court order and obstructing police work.
A judge at the Ontario Court of Justice said Friday night that bail could be granted to Mr. Barber. Judge Julie Bourgeois released him on a $100,000 bond and on the conditions that he leave Ontario by February 23, that he not publicly support the motorcade and that he have no contact with the other main organizers of the demonstration.
King, Lich and other organizers of the so-called ‘freedom convoy’ also had their bank accounts – including bitcoin and cryptocurrency funds – temporarily frozen following a Superior Court ruling. of Ontario on Thursday.