Two of the three Farfadaas convicted of mischief and conspiracy for blocking the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine bridge-tunnel in March 2021 asked the judge on Wednesday to absolve them to avoid having a criminal record. The Crown opposed it, demanding that a hundred hours of community service be imposed on Steeve Charland and Karol Tardif instead.
An absolute discharge is not an adequate sentence in such a case, argued prosecutor Martin Bourgeois before Judge Jean-Jacques Gagné, of the Court of Quebec, at the Montreal courthouse. “You have to accept the consequences of their actions. And we must dissuade anyone from doing the same things, ”he told the magistrate.
“Denounce and deter,” he insisted.
But they don’t deserve jail. He demands that 150 hours of community work be imposed on Mr. Charland, 49, the former leader of the identity group La Meute, and 120 hours on Mr.me Tardif, age 54, with two years probation. The couple have no criminal record.
The third member of the Farfadaas who was sentenced in this case, Mario Roy, a leader of the anti-mask movement, postponed the submissions on the sentence concerning him until June 22. He intends to retain the services of an expert, possibly a doctor, “in connection with his personal situation”, summed up the judge.
For Mr. Roy, Mr.e Bourgeois is asking for a prison sentence of between 3 and 6 months. “I don’t give up,” he told the court. He considers that his responsibility is more important than the other two, because he admitted having initiated the operation to block this crucial traffic lane for Montreal.
During the trial, the trio argued that they spontaneously decided to block the tunnel to make a “stunt” and denounce the police brutality they had witnessed during an anti-sanitary measures demonstration held earlier. that day in Montreal. But the motorists who found themselves captive in the bridge-tunnel for a few minutes were terrified, recalled the Crown prosecutor. “It had an impact on people. »
Wednesday, M.me Tardif, a young retiree, argued that having a criminal record would complicate a personal situation she is currently experiencing. Calm and composed, she repeated that she did not want to break the law that day: she only wanted to demonstrate peacefully to denounce “dictatorial decrees. »
Steeve Charland also asked for an absolution so as not to harm his spouse, Ms.me Late. He also told Judge Gagné that he had been volunteering for years, and claimed to have put his activism on hold.
The magistrate will make his decision on their case in July.