"Freedom Convoy" organizer Pat King arrives for his trial at the courthouse in Ottawa, Thursday, May 16, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
OTTAWA – “Freedom Convoy” organizer Pat King boasted about his role in gridlocking downtown Ottawa and directed protesters to honk their horns in contravention of a court order in a series of videos published on social media during the events.
Those videos are now evidence in his criminal trial.
King has pleaded not guilty to nine charges related to his role in the protest, including a number of allegations that he counselled others to break the law.
The Crown alleges King was a leader in the protest movement, which saw hundreds of big rigs and other vehicles drive into Ottawa and entrench themselves on the streets, jamming the downtown core for nearly three weeks.
In one video, King describes his role in co-ordinating the placement of trucks and laughs about clogging a major street near the parliamentary precinct.
In another video posted after an Ottawa judge issued an injunction against excessive honking, King tells viewers in downtown Ottawa to blow their horns and “let the heavens hear.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2024.
