(Ottawa) “Freedom Drive” organizer Pat King bragged about his role in the 2022 occupation of downtown Ottawa and urged protesters to honk their horns, violating a government order. court, reveals a series of videos published on social networks during the events.
These videos were presented as evidence during his criminal trial on Thursday.
Mr King has pleaded not guilty to nine charges relating to his role in the protest, including a number of allegations that he advised others to break the law.
The Crown alleges that Mr. King was an influential leader of the protest movement, which saw hundreds of large trucks and other vehicles enter Ottawa and take to the streets, blocking the downtown core for nearly three weeks, oppose health measures related to COVID-19 and – in some cases – demand a change of government.
The Crown presented several videos and live broadcasts taken from its social networks. In a video, he describes his role in coordinating the positioning of trucks, under cover of darkness, and mocks the blocking of a main street near Parliament.
“We moved them all…away from the police,” King said in a Jan. 31 video, where he described the stealth movement of 80 trucks toward downtown.
“We blocked Kent Street. »
“I’m having so much fun. I’m not kidding, I’m having an unforgettable time. »
In a previous video, he asked truckers to honk their horns every 30 minutes. Almost at the same time, horns began to sound.
In most of the videos, Mr. King says the protest is peaceful. He often expresses himself with swear words and foul language.
The videos show he was a well-known figure in the crowd, with many passersby calling out to him, thanking him, giving him hugs and even asking for his autograph.
In one video, a woman shouts at him that she drove five hours to join the protest because of him.
At the time of the “Freedom Convoy” protests, Mr. King’s Facebook page had 354,000 followers, Alyson Yaraskovitch, a criminal intelligence analyst in Ottawa, testified Thursday.
A video recorded during the third weekend of protests sparked 26,000 reactions on Facebook. In this video, he asked truckers not to move their large trucks out of residential neighborhoods.
Mr. King kept a neutral expression as he watched video after video on a large television screen in the courtroom.
An injunction not respected
On February 7, more than a week after the protest began, a judge issued an injunction against excessive horn honking in Ottawa in response to the near-constant noise that residents say deprived them of sleep for days.
In a live broadcast, Mr. King had asked all truckers to immediately stop honking to avoid getting arrested and to “appease” Ottawa residents, but added that the court injunction meant that the protest made a difference.
“Remember, these people haven’t slept in ten days,” he said, laughing and calling the situation “hilarious.” “It works wonderfully. »
The next day, he published a new video contradicting his advice to stop honking and where he told his subscribers that he was “angry”. “Honk. Let heaven hear you,” he said.
The Crown is expected to play dozens of additional videos in court Friday before defense lawyer Natasha Calvinho cross-examines the witness.