A large crowd carries banners and flags at the Lethbridge courthouse Friday morning before a brief appearance by three southern Alberta men facing mischief charges in the Coutts border blockade.--Lethbridge Herald photo Al Beeber
Hundreds of protesters and supporters of three men facing charges from the Coutts blockade packed the Lethbridge courthouse plaza Friday morning to show solidarity with the trio.
While the three faced a judge inside the courthouse, the peaceful yet boisterous crowd listened to various speakers discuss vaccine mandates, freedoms and justice. There was a heavy emphasis on prayer and God during the various talks.
A strong police presence from various services in the province kept a watch on the crowd with members of the LPS lined up near the courthouse door before the three men entered.
Charged with mischief over $5,000, Marco Van Huigenbos, 32, and 53-year-old Alex Van Herk of Fort Macleod along with Gerhard (George) Janzen, 43, of Taber, elected trial by judge and jury after an appearance.
Their next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 12 in Lethbridge.
LPS began preparing for a convoy that entered the city by placing police vehicles at various downtown intersections to ensure traffic could flow smoothly during the rally. Well before dawn, the police presence was visible in the downtown core.
A crew from the CBC was singled out by one speaker named Grant Abraham for its reporting, with a crowd member pointing his hand at them so the crowd could identify them. The gesture was alarming, but one organizer intervened and thanked the network for showing up to the event, a message that seemed to quell hostility toward the journalists from that outlet.
Before and during the court appearance, prayers were given, and various speakers addressed the crowd on a microphone set up outside the courthouse doors.
Numerous Canadian flags waved in the breeze along with others denigrating Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Crowd members carried various placards and during the talks by speakers in the crowd, loud calls of “Freedom!” often rang out.
The crowd was a wide mix of ages with people from teenagers to seniors on hand.
One former trucker from Calgary, standing on a planter carrying a Maple Leaf flag, said he felt vaccination requirements for truckers were unfair and he wanted to show his support to the trio. Another person told the Herald he came from Sparwood to voice his support.
One speaker told the crowd they are not the fringe minority.
“I don’t believe that we are the fringe minority, I think that the rest of them are the fringe minority because so many people have woken up. We need to continue to stick together across this nation no matter what happens. It’s times like this we can see the dedication and we’re pushing through and sticking together,” the man said while also talking about the power of prayer. “We need to keep praying and keep this movement moving, keep it rollin’.”
One speaker said he had been at the Coutts blockade and “it was the first time that we were able to all be together without masks in one place and it felt great,” to huge applause.
Abraham, who earlier this year announced he was running for leadership of the federal Conservative party, said “I’m here to stand in solidarity with men that have stood up for truth and freedom.”
He attacked the leadership of Trudeau, saying “everything we’ve known as Canadians and everything we love about this country is being eroded. Our privacy has been taken, our bank accounts have been frozen, we have unbelievable civil liberties that have been violated. We have seen our Charter have holes driven through it.”
Calgary Lawyer Yoah Niv told the crowd “there will be no deals and no concessions of any kind” to applause.
He said he’d be here in Lethbridge for the Dec. 12 appearance.
All three of the men facing charges spoke briefly after they emerged from the courthouse before members of the crowd headed to a barbecue in the industrial area of the city at a trucking company.
Van Huigenbos, who is heading to Ottawa today to testify at the Emergencies Act inquiry, thanked the crowd for their support. He said while they may have disagreements, law enforcement had to be thanked as well for their role in keeping the event orderly.
“Above all, we have to thank God. That’s why we’re here, right? All glory goes to him. Tomorrow I leave to Ottawa so I’m a little stressed out” adding 10 months ago he could never have imagined his current situation, never mind being put in front of the country.
“I’m just a small-town Albertan who’s raising a family.”
Van Herk said “we’re not standing here alone, we’re in this together,” adding many supporters who couldn’t attend the appearance were there in spirit, saying he’d had numerous emails on Friday.
“This needs to end as soon as possible.”
