‘Messing the city up’: Crown lays out ‘Freedom Convoy’ conspiracy argument

By The Canadian Press on November 30, 2023.

OTTAWA – Crown attorneys in the criminal trial of two ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizers say the accused conspired to block streets and gridlock downtown Ottawa last year as part of their protest against COVID-19 public-health measures.

The Crown alleges that the conspiracy started on Jan. 29 when Tamara Lich and Chris Barber led a convoy of protesters into Ottawa for a massive and disruptive demonstration that lasted more than three weeks.

Prosecutors are arguing that Lich and Barber worked so closely together that evidence against one of them should apply to both.

Crown counsel Tim Radcliffe pointed today to several text messages Barber sent on the first day of their arrival, stating that the protesters were messing the city up.

The defence has asked the judge to dismiss the allegation on the basis that the demonstration wasn’t violent, and that planning a protest isn’t an illegal act.

Lich and Barber are accused of mischief, intimidation and other charges.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 30, 2023.

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