A key organizer of the three-week protest on Parliament Hill in Ottawa was denied bail on Friday.
Pat King, of Red Deer, Alberta, was arrested last Friday in Ottawa. He faces charges of mischief, advising to commit mischief, advising to disobey a court order and advising to obstruct police work.
Justice of the Peace Andrew Seymour said Friday he was not satisfied that Mr. King, if released, would not commit similar offences.
In rendering his decision, Judge Seymour explained that the evidence presented by the Crown “paints the picture of an individual who clearly intends to pursue his protest and is indifferent to the consequences”.
He also said Mr. King did not need to be in Ottawa to commit any further offences, pointing to the risk of him continuing to communicate with other protest leaders or his 354,000 Facebook followers. .
Judge Seymour was also not reassured by the person who was to answer for Mr. King, an Albertan who had only known the accused for about four weeks and who had come to Ottawa to take part in the demonstration.
The judge said there was evidence Kerry Komix may have played a role in organizing the convoy, pointing to its connection to a fundraising campaign for those camping in the heart of the capital.
Ms. Komix was either “firmly entrenched among the leaders” of the convoy or could be “easily manipulated” by them, Judge Seymour said. He said the court would be taking an unacceptable risk by releasing Mr King under the supervision of Ms Komix.
The judge also felt that a reasonable person might lose faith in the administration of justice if Mr. King were released. “The offenses were an attack on the rule of law, which undermined the confidence of Ottawans and Canadians in the institutions, like government and police, to protect them,” said Justice Seymour. The alleged violations are extraordinarily serious and unprecedented. »
Checkpoints still there
Barricades marking a security perimeter in downtown Ottawa were still in place on Friday, although the area was smaller than at the start of the week, after police dispersed protesters who had blocked the streets from the city.
Police said the checkpoints will remain in place throughout the weekend, and officers will only intervene if people engage in illegal activities, such as blocking streets.
Pat King sat in a courtroom at the Ottawa courthouse a few blocks from those checkpoints on Friday afternoon as Judge Seymour delivered his decision.
During the bail hearing earlier this week, the Crown played a video of Mr King making derogatory statements about different ethnic communities. He was also pleased that a court order was required earlier this month to curb the incessant noise of truck horns in Ottawa.
The Crown had asked the judge earlier Friday to reopen the bail hearing so they could present new evidence, but Judge Seymour denied the request.
The judge also banned Mr. King on Friday from communicating with other organizers of the “freedom convoy”, including Tamara Lich, Chris Barber, Daniel Bulford and Tyson George Billings.
Chris Barber was released on bail last week after being charged for his role in the protest in downtown Ottawa. Tamara Lich, on the other hand, did not obtain her release on bail on Tuesday.
Tyson George Billings’ bail hearing was also taking place on Friday, but the judge handling the case warned she was unlikely to issue a decision by the end of the day. The judge could announce her decision on Monday.
Tyson Billings, 44, is charged with mischief, advising to commit mischief, advising to disobey a court order, obstructing police officers and advising to obstruct the police work.