Supporters of the Freedom Convey movement that swept Canada and sparked push-back against Covid mandates around the world have been largely kept in the dark about the fate of two of the protests’ founders due to a gag order.
“I have been hoping for quite some time to have my conditions varied and with the lack of evidence we have seen so far (and) the unexpected length of time the trial is taking, we felt it was a good time to have this specific condition reviewed,” Tamara Lich reportedly said.
Lich and Chris Barber have been embroiled in a contentious court battle with Canada’s Crown, which has far exceeded the timeline put forward by the government. Dating back to their initial arrests in February 2022, the Canadian government imposed a social media ban on the pair. Lich recently returned to X after winning a review of her bail conditions.
“It has been 22 long months since I have been allowed to log in to my Twitter account,” Lich reportedly wrote on Thursday, Dec. 21. “@elonmusk did anything interesting happen while I’ve been away???!!?!”
The Freedom Convey organizers have been charged with mischief, intimidation, and a variety of allegations pertaining to counseling others to break the law. Barber faces additional charges of violating a court order. After significant delays, the trial finally started on Sept. 19, 2023, and was expected to end by Oct. 13. Following a month of evidence and witnesses by the prosecution, the trial is expected to now resume in January 2024.
It seems the prosecution of key members of the anti-lockdown movement will be on trial exponentially longer than the three-week largely peaceful protests lasted. Lawyers for Lich and Barber have gone on the record indicating their clients’ actions were entirely lawful.
“There was certainly a common purpose. It was to peacefully, lawfully protest,” Barber’s lawyer Diane Magas told the court. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with people saying they’re going to protest until they get what they want. They can stay six months if they do it peacefully, lawfully.”
Government attorneys have reportedly pointed to text messages and a repeated rallying cry made by Lich to “hold the line.” The phrase was routinely used on the Freedom Convey’s Facebook page as well. Lich, whose former account was deactivated, sports an illustration of her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau face to face, with him wearing a crown. The next court hearing in the case has been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 4, 2024.
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