(Ottawa) Tamara Lich promised ‘freedom convoy’ protesters in downtown Ottawa would remain “peaceful, but planted,” amid reports that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was prepared to invoke there Emergency Measures Act to end the protest, a court heard on Tuesday.
“No matter what you do, we will stay the course,” promised Mme Lich, a leading figure in the “freedom convoy” movement and key organizer of the protests, during a press conference on February 14, 2022.
A video of the scene was broadcast Tuesday in a courtroom in Ottawa, where the Crown is trying to prove that Mme Lich and fellow organizer Chris Barber exercised control and influence over the three-week protest in Ottawa, which ended in a massive police operation.
The sixth day of the trial marked the first time the court saw examples showing Mme Lich encouraging protesters to go to Ottawa and stay there, even if police ordered them to leave.
Mme Lich and Mr Barber face charges of mischief, counseling others to commit crimes, intimidation and obstructing police in connection with their role in the ‘freedom convoy’ . The protesters opposed public health measures related to COVID-19 and the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The videos played in court Tuesday were compiled by Ottawa police Sergeant Joanne Pilotte. However, they are not considered as evidence at the trial, which takes place before only a judge. M’s defense lawyersme Lich and Mr. Barber plan to object to the admission of social media content collected on the “Freedom Convoy 2022” Facebook page.
The defense made several arguments about the admissibility of the evidence, which slowed down the process.
Online content presented to the court shows that Mme Lich announced at the start of the demonstration that participants would not leave until the government abolished the obligation to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Thousands of trucks began arriving in Ottawa on January 28, 2022, blocking streets around Parliament Hill and surrounding residential neighborhoods.
“Our departure will depend on whether the prime minister does what is right,” Mr.me Lich during a recorded press conference on February 3, 2022.
Nearly two weeks later, Mme Lich posted a video reflecting on the protest and explaining how she expected to be arrested, although her message to supporters remained essentially the same.
“I think it’s inevitable at this point, but I’ll probably go somewhere tomorrow where I’ll get three meals a day, and that’s OK,” she said, through tears, in a video released online. live on Facebook on February 16, two days after the Emergency Measures Act was invoked.
She had tears in her eyes as she watched the footage play in court Tuesday.
“If you can come to Ottawa and stand with us, that would be fantastic. And if you can’t, pray for us,” M continued.me Lich, in the video.
She finished by saying, “I’m not afraid and we’re going to hold on.” Thanks I love you. »
” Keep the direction ”
Other videos from the final days of the protest showed Mme Lich who repeated the phrase “stay the course”. She also reiterated this on February 17, when asked what her message would be to her supporters if she were to be arrested.
She was arrested later in the day, on the eve of a police operation aimed at clearing demonstrators from the streets of the federal capital. During his arrest, a supporter called Mme Lich to “stay the course” as she was led away in handcuffs. She repeated the words before being bundled into a nearby police car.
A video of Mr Barber’s arrest was also played in court. He was arrested separately from Mme Lich, the same day. In the video, he encouraged the person filming his arrest to post it “immediately” on social media.
Crown prosecutor Tim Radcliffe presented the court with 212 pages of posts and videos from the “Freedom Convoy 2022” Facebook page, including updates from organizers and their supporters.
Defense lawyers are demanding more information about how the Crown plans to use them to prove their case before they can be considered by the judge.
In a video, Tamara Lich expressed her support for blocking the international border crossing at the Ambassador Bridge, between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan.
“I wish we could take credit for the blockages, but we can’t,” Ms.me Lich in a video posted on the group’s Facebook page on February 14.
“We know that Canadians across the country are inspired by the determination of truckers in Ottawa,” she added.
In a video posted to Facebook on February 12, Mr. Barber walked through blocked Ottawa streets and was greeted by supporters asking for photos.
One person who encountered Mr. Barber on the street called him a “hero” as protesters chanted “Trudeau must go” off camera.
The Crown also reposted videos from Mr. Barber’s TikTok account, BigRed19755, which were previously entered into evidence at the trial. Prosecutor Radcliffe said he wanted to show the court that videos were posted on TikTok and Facebook during the protest.