Tamara Lich walks with her lawyer Lawrence Greenspon as they make their way to the courthouse for trial, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Ottawa. The defence lawyers for two "Freedom Convoy" organizers are expected to show the court a more peaceful view of the protest, as they cross-examine the officer assigned to social media evidence for the trial. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – Defence lawyers for two “Freedom Convoy” organizers are showing the court videos that show a more peaceful view of the protest as they cross-examine the officer assigned to social media evidence in the case.
Chris Barber and Tamara Lich are on trial for their role on the protest that gridlocked Ottawa for three weeks in 2022.
Barber’s defence lawyer is going through TikTok videos that show him calling for peaceful behaviour, talking about the loving nature of the crowd, and thanking police for ensuring public safety.
That offers a contrast to the videos already shown by the Crown, which is trying to make the case that Lich and Barber exerted influence and control over a protest that was not peaceful.
The videos were initially posted to Barber’s TikTok account and the “Freedom Convoy 2022” Facebook page.
Sgt. Joanne Pilotte told the court she was directed to download certain videos by an Ottawa police detective as part of the investigation, and did not choose them herself.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2023.
