Alberta judge compels Whistle Stop Cafe owner to post gov't-approved COVID warning on his own social media posts

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Whistle Stop Cafe owner Chris Scott was sentenced to an Orwellian compelled speech condition requiring him to give the Alberta government's talking points anytime he posts about COVID-19, vaccines, and lockdowns.

Justice Adam Germain also ruled Scott must serve 18 months probation, pay $20,000 in fines for holding a protest that breached a court order prohibiting illegal public gatherings.

Scott was also levied $11,000 in court costs to Alberta Health Services. When handing down his ruling, Germain read a sample script Scott and fellow defendants Pastor Art Pawlowski and his brother Dawid have to read or post alongside any public comments on social media or otherwise when the men question Alberta Health Services' COVID policies. The sample script touted the efficacy of vaccines, masking, and other restrictions.

Rebel News is helping Chris appeal the public struggle session provision in his sentence through our civil liberties project, www.FightTheFines.com, where we put lockdown scofflaws in touch with top criminal and civil lawyers at no cost to them. We do this all in partnership with the registered Canadian charity, the Democracy Fund and through crowdfunding donations.

Chris was arrested in May after a 1,500 person protest at his Mirror, Alberta property after his business, the Whistle Stop Cafe, was chained up in an early morning raid by local police.

At the same time, authorities seized Scott's gas station, convenience store and adjacent campground.

Scott led the “restaurant rebellion” against the lockdown in Alberta, refusing to close his dining room in compliance with the provincial government lockdown on dine-in service.

Rebel News viewers have stood with Chris from the very beginning, supporting him as he stared down the government daily as authorities harassed him and his staff, when he had health and liquor permits revoked, closure notices stuck on his door, threatened with arrest and warrants, when the government seized his property, and at his last protest against the government that was trying to euthanize his business.

And we will stand with Chris now as he appeals this insane ruling from a judge requiring him to publicly denounce himself every time he speaks against the government. We have to.

If this ruling is allowed to stand, it will be used to silence other people as a relevant case that other judges may consider at sentencing.

This is about Chris today but it is really about all of us who are critics of policymakers. We are all allowed to publicly condemn our own government and the decisions they make that affect us. This ruling takes that away for Chris.

To help fund our appeal of this anti-Canadian decision please donate at www.FightTheFines.com. All donations there now qualify for a charitable tax receipt.