Canadian court convicts Freedom Convoy leaders

An Ottawa court has convicted Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber of committing mischief.

The Freedom Convoy was a group of Canadian truckers led by Lich, Barber, and others who protested Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s draconian COVID-19 mandates in early 2022. They peacefully descended on Ottawa, sparking other anti-mandate protests that blockaded key spots along the US-Canadian trade routes. Joined by tens of thousands more Canadians, they were cheered by citizens worldwide suffering from similar oppression by their own governments. The Freedom Convoy raised $10 million on GoFundMe — later confiscated by the Trudeau administration — and $8 million more on GiveSendGo.

Trudeau and the Canadian media at the time falsely accused the protesters of violence, a claim that was used to justify a totalitarian crackdown on the Freedom Convoy and its supporters. Canadian officials have since acknowledged that the accusations were false.

Lich and Barber have been found guilty of committing mischief, which carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence if property damage exceeds $5,000. The verdict came after a months-long trial that brought five other charges against the convoy leaders, including intimidation, obstructing police, and conspiring to commit mischief. Prosecutors said Barber and Lich were the figureheads of the movement and that protesters took cues from them. The defense argued that the convoy leaders cooperated with law enforcement and did not encourage illegal activity.

‘This isn't anything but political’

Although Lich and Barber dodged most of the charges, observers criticized the verdict. Rebel News journalist Sheila Gunn Reid compared the Freedom Convoy to the “full-scale Hamas riots” that have plagued cities like Montreal, “where police are assaulted, and bottles are thrown, and windows are smashed.”

“But are those organizers of that riot being investigated for even mischief?” she asked. “Are their bank accounts being frozen to investigate to see if Iranian money is flowing into it? None of that stuff is happening, so there's no way that you can argue that this isn't anything but political.”

The Freedom Convoy movement spurred the Canadian government last year to earmark $50 million for enhanced “Parliamentary security” over the next five years. The funds, which Public Safety Minister David McGuinty says are already being disbursed, will support a team of 49 civilian and sworn employees who will patrol Parliament Hill. While officials say they hope the initiative will prevent “hate crimes,” the catalyst was the Freedom Convoy.

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