LIVE UPDATES: Closing arguments continue in trial of Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich

The Canadian Press / Sean Kilpatrick

The trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber resumes today in Ottawa as two of the leading figures of the Freedom Convoy face charges of mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief and intimidation.

The peaceful Freedom Convoy protests drew thousands of Canadians from across the country to Ottawa in early 2022 in opposition of government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions.

The defence teams are expected to continue their closing arguments today in what is already the longest-running mischief trial in Canadian history.

Lich previously spent almost 50 days behind bars on non-violent offences in relation to her role as an organizer of the anti-mandate demonstrations that took place in Ottawa. 

HAPPENING NOW: Tamara Lich arrives at the courthouse in Ottawa, where closing arguments continue in the mischief trial of Lich and co-accused Chris Barber, two organizers behind the Freedom Convoy protest.https://t.co/a2XWjx1Dmd pic.twitter.com/gI3FFHQXXs

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) August 20, 2024

Ezra Levant is on-site at the courthouse in Ottawa and will be covering today's proceedings.

DAY 43: @EzraLevant is in Ottawa to cover Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber's trial.

Both are charged with mischief offences, with Lich having already spent 49 days in jail.

This is the longest mischief trial in Canadian history.https://t.co/mJnU8k1R2g pic.twitter.com/iu9V787OTN

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) August 20, 2024

Follow along below for live updates from the trial:

87. The judge says that's the end of proceedings for the day. Looks like court will resume on Friday morning.

Judge: I still haven't cancelled September dates, just in case we need them too.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

78. "Come to Ottawa, stay in Ottawa, hold the line". That's how Granger summarizes Tamara Lich's messages.

Good luck turning that into a crime.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

72. Granger is showing that the funds raised by the truckers were for compliance or other legitimate purposes -- e.g. hiring lawyers.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

71. Granger: Tamara Lich was focused on fundraising. There is no evidence that fundraising was linked to anything illegal at all.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

43. Granger has probably listed a dozen different groups who were there, some of whom clearly said they were not affiliated with Tamara Lich's group. And again, all of this is coming from the prosecutor's own witnesses.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

38. Granger emphasizes that when Tamara Lich used the word "we", it's an oversimplification to say that includes every possible party (e.g. every protester, every other trucker, etc.) That's how the prosecution is framing their case (they're desperate).

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

35. Judge says she wants to end for lunch. We'll reconvene at 2 p.m. ET.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

34. I can tell that this judge's form of "active listening" is to pipe up when she finds something interesting.

So she interrupts both sides.

Except: every interruption of the prosecution I saw was to scold them. And every interruption today is to agree with the defence!

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

30. "We will remain peaceful...". Defence lawyer Granger refers to a public statement by Tamara Lich about how the truckers would conduct themselves (and indeed they did).

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

29. How many dozens of other cases have been thrown out by reason of delay, so that these angry prosecutors can indulge their political vendetta against the truckers, through a 43-day show trial?https://t.co/QISUHqhJ46 pic.twitter.com/WdWKoQsf9L

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

26. The bulk of the prosecution's case is Lich's use of the phrase "hold the line", and when she says "we". They're trying to use those to hold her culpable for any other sin, real or imagined.

The judge interjects to say, the word "we" can mean something different every time.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

21. Granger: the only video evidence of Tamara Lich is her being arrested -- in which she is the very model of cooperating and complying with police.

Just stop a moment: a 43-day (and counting) criminal trial against a woman against whom there was no evidence or witnesses.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

14. Granger: travelling to Ottawa, encouraging others to go to Ottawa, telling people to stay in Ottawa, saying, "Hold the Line" and fundraising are not crimes.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

12. Granger: leading a convoy of trucks to protest in Ottawa is not in itself unlawful. It's only unlawful if you can link illegal activity to the convoy. (Something that has never been done.)

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

10. Granger: "even when context is taken into account, there remains no case against Tamara Lich, no evidence capable of [convicting her]".

Ezra's view: In 43 days, the prosecution simply didn't have any proof -- they paraded a series of political and emotional witnesses.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

9. Granger: "on the evidence, none of the actions of Tamara Lich, are on their face unlawful. None of the words attributed to Lich are on their face unlawful."

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

8. Diana Magas, lawyer for Chris Barber, is done her point; the judge calls on Tamara Lich's lawyers. Lawrence Greenspon, the lead lawyer, hands things off to his deputy, Eric Granger.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

7. Last week, the trial heard a summary of the steps Lich & Barber took to be in legal compliance: lawyers, accountants, a PR team, a "war room". The truckers had a compliance team.

How could anyone say -- beyond a reasonable doubt -- that such people knew they were criminals?

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

6. In criminal law the burden is on the prosecutors to prove the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Is it really beyond a reasonable doubt that Tamara Lich and Chris Barber knew they were committing crimes? Police were practically embedded with them. Police praised their help.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

5. If someone is working with police, negotiating with police, collaborating with police, accepting advice from police (e.g. where to park, how to keep lanes open) can such a person really be said to have a guilty mind? Especially if they have lawyers helping them?

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

4. A lot turns on mens rea. Criminal law requires both the actus reus (the criminal act) and the mens rea (the guilty mind).

It has been a contention of the defence that they believed they were acting lawfully, especially given their daily coordination with police.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

3. The court has just convened. I'm not sure why the slow start. The trial is in the phase of closing arguments. On her feet now is Diane Magas, one of the two lawyers for Tamara's co-accused, Chris Barber. She describing some of the requirements for mens rea -- a guilty mind.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

2. Mark Joseph, senior litigation counsel from The Democracy Fund is also live-tweeting. I'll try to interview him today.@TDF_Can is crowdfunding the legal bills for Tamara. If you can help, please go to https://t.co/j0CG3ksEfq. You'll get a charitable tax receipt.

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024

1. I'm back in Ottawa for the trial of Tamara Lich & Chris Barber, the leaders of the 2022 trucker convoy.

It's now the longest-running mischief trial in history. The prosecution are turning the process into the punishment.

I'll be live-tweeting and filming some videos, too. https://t.co/9EJU6hUx29

— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) August 20, 2024