(Ottawa) The criminal trial of the two organizers of the “freedom convoy” resumed Monday, after a two-week interruption, with the testimony of an Ottawa police liaison officer.
Constable Nicole Bach, the main police contact for organizer Chris Barber during the three-week protest that paralyzed downtown Ottawa early last year, finished her testimony as she was cross-examined by the defense.
Mme Bach is one of three police witnesses to testify. His testimony was cut short last month as defense attorneys demanded access to redacted police communications about the protest, including emails, police logs and transcripts of discussions.
Judge Heather Perkins-McVey ruled that some of those documents would be admitted as evidence.
Mme Bach has previously told the court that at the start of the protest Mr Barber warned things were getting “out of control” and said protesters would only leave if the prime minister acknowledged them and lifted all guidelines related to the pandemic.
Monday, Mme Bach testified that Mr. Barber helped police move some of the trucks clogging downtown Ottawa, citing at least one conversation she had with the organizer.
She objected, however, to the assertion by Tamara Lich’s lawyer, Eric Granger, that the convoy protests had been peaceful – an objection that led Judge Perkins-McVey to ask her to avoid expressing his opinion.
Monday’s cross-examination also revealed that Mme Bach and other police liaison officers had been asked to return home on February 15, the day former Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly resigned. Mme Bach said she returned to work on February 18.
Mme Bach said earlier in October that Mr. Barber had warned her that a forced police operation with riot gear would be a “big mistake.”
In a text exchange, Mr. Barber told Ms.me Bach: “I have a few guys getting ready to move,” and asked about rumors of a tactical eviction operation by police.
Mr. Barber and Mr.me Lich face multiple charges, including mischief, counseling others to commit misdeeds, and intimidation for their role in the 2022 protests against COVID-19 public health measures.
The Crown seeks to prove that Mme Lich and Mr. Barber exerted influence on the actions of the protesters.
The trial is expected to resume on November 27.