Chris Carbert rejected the core accusation in the charge of conspiracy to murder laid against him and his co-accused, Anthony Olienick. He testified Friday at his trial in Lethbridge, AB.

“Absolutely not,” Carbert replied when asked by Katherin Beyak, his lawyer, if he was “part of a group trying to make Coutts a ground zero for a conflict with the police.”

Both Carbert and Olienick were charged with conspiracy to murder. The Crown is accusing both men of conspiring to murder police officers during their participation in the 2022 Coutts protest and blockade, a civilly disobedient and peaceful demonstration against COVID-19 mandates.

The two defendants were also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm a dangerous purpose and mischief over $5,000. Olienick is additionally charged with unlawful possession of an explosive device for a dangerous purpose. Both men have pled not guilty to all charges against them.

Carbert, during his testimony, praised police officers as “heroes of our Western culture”. He recalled law enforcement at the Coutts demonstration as being friendly and congenial with protesters.

Chris Carbert testified today about the origins of his thinking/decision-making to participate in the 2022 Coutts protest/blockade, he said he was worried about a growing threat of violence between citizens and the government. https://t.co/cYRWVbU1xv pic.twitter.com/L7BZTEi6hY

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) July 19, 2024

Carbert testified that two images of firearms extracted from his mobile phone by the RCMP after his arrest on February 14, 2022, were guns that were in his home in Lethbridge -- 100 kilometers from Coutts -- during the Coutts protest. 

The Crown presented these two images to jurors as evidence of its allegation that Carbert and Olienick conspired to murder police officers.

Carbert further testifies he viewed the Coutts protest and Freedom Convoy in Ottawa as methods to avert what he forecasted was a likely violent conflict between the Canadian government and its citizenry over “vaccine mandates”.

the defendant shared his view that imposing “vaccine mandates” on truckers would have likely expanded to include other lines of work.

The Coutts demonstration, he testified, was an attempt to “abolish” the conflict over expanding “vaccine mandates”