Tamara Lich arrives at the courthouse for trial in Ottawa on Monday, September 18, 2023. The criminal trial of two "Freedom Convoy" organizers is expected to hear the city's perspective on the controversial protest as Ottawa's emergency manager takes the stand. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle
OTTAWA – Social media posts and videos from the “Freedom Convoy 2022” Facebook page have been accepted as evidence in the criminal trial of two of the protest’s most prominent organizers.
Tamara Lich and Chris Barber are facing several charges related to their role in planning the massive protest that brought thousands of demonstrators to Ottawa for three weeks last winter to protest COVID-19 public health restrictions and the Liberal government.
The Crown says it plans to use the posts to make the case that Barber and Lich were conspiring together so closely during the protest that evidence against one of them should apply to them both.
The defence had planned to argue against the inclusion of the Facebook content, saying posts that were not made directly by Lich or Barber themselves are irrelevant.
Lich and Barber’s lawyers now say they will make that argument on a post-by-post basis at the end of the trial when they address the conspiracy application.
The court is expected to hear testimony from Ottawa’s general manager of emergency services later today.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2023.
