(Calgary) The judge in the trial of two men accused of conspiring to commit murder at the Coutts, Alta., border blockade has warned the jury about a defence lawyer’s opening statement.
Marilyn Burns said Thursday that the accused feared politicians were leading Canadians toward civil war or a totalitarian state and that they should defend themselves.
She called the trial political and “un-Canadian,” alleging that police took orders from politicians and that officers lied under oath as witnesses in the case.
“There is no evidence that the police, the Crown or the court acted under the influence of the political sphere,” Judge David Labrenz reminded the jury on Friday.
Mr. Labrenz reiterated that the jury’s sole job is to determine, based on the evidence, whether the Crown has proven beyond a reasonable doubt the charges against Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert.
The judge reminded the jury that theories presented by the Crown or the defence do not constitute evidence. He mentioned that Mrme Burns, who represents Anthony Olienick, was not speaking on behalf of Chris Carbert.
The two men were arrested after police seized weapons, ammunition and bulletproof vests from caravans in Coutts in 2022.
The blockade had hampered traffic for two weeks at the busy Canada-U.S. border crossing in protest of COVID-19 measures and mandatory vaccinations.
Three undercover RCMP officers posing as volunteers during the blockade testified that Olienick believed the police were tools of “evil” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and deserved to be hanged. They said he told them that if the police raided the blockade, he would “slit their throats.”
During the trial, jurors also learned that Chris Carbert had sent text messages to his mother warning her of a war, saying he was willing to die for the cause.
Mr. Olienick and Mr. Carbert are also charged with mischief and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Mr. Olienick faces an additional charge of possession of a pipe bomb.