Live Updates: Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich's trial enters day nine
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.
The trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber continues on day nine today in Ottawa. As two of the most prominent faces of the Freedom Convoy, Lich and co-accused Chris Barber are facing charges of mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief, and intimidation. The Freedom Convoy demonstrations drew thousands of Canadians to Ottawa in early 2022 in opposition to COVID-19 restrictions.
Rebel News reporter Robert Kraychik is once again reporting from inside the Ottawa courthouse and will be providing live updates. Videographer Lincoln Jay is also on the scene to cover all of the reactions and commentary from outside the courthouse.
Tamara Lich and Chris Barber arrive at the Ottawa Courthouse for day 9 of trial. https://t.co/52zo5bkxKr pic.twitter.com/CupEsUDkie
— Lincoln Jay (@lincolnmjay) September 18, 2023
Today's proceedings are beginning with the introduction of a Quebec police officer as a witness for the Crown.
Day 9 proceedings begin with introduction of a witness for the Crown, a Quebec police officer from Montreal who is using a translator to communicate; defense lawyers and judge are inquiring about the nature of this cop's notes and documents.https://t.co/TWDiMnjMOA
— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) September 18, 2023
Chris Barber's defence is claiming that the Quebec police officer cannot testify to some of the documents he brought in because they were not composed by him.
Quebec cop says one of the logs he brought was composed by scribes who recorded information provided by him and other officers; Chris Barber's defense attorney therefore maintains that he cannot testify to records he may not have observed first-hand.https://t.co/TWDiMnjMOA
— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) September 18, 2023
The judge has asked the Quebec police officer if he reviewed all the notes in his log prior to trial. The judge further says that since his logs are compilations of many officers' claims, this may impact his "ability to provide independent evidence."
Judge asks Quebec cop if he reviewed all the notes in his log prior to arriving at trial; he says he did; judge warns that this may have corrupted his "ability to provide independent evidence" given that his log is an aggregation of many officers' claims.https://t.co/TWDiMnjMOA
— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) September 18, 2023
The Quebec police officer explains that he was at the protests in a "crowd control" capacity.
Quebec cop was deployed to Ottawa for a "crowd control" operation regarding the Freedom Convoy; he acknowledges he wasn't on the front line of the standoff between 90-ish police officers and a greater number of demonstrators, but about 15 feet "behind".https://t.co/TWDiMnjMOA
— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) September 18, 2023
Two taxpayer-funded translators are providing translation services for the Quebec police officer's testimony.
Two English-French translators - paid for by the government - were sent to the trial to provide translation services for this Quebec cop's testimony.https://t.co/TWDiMnjMOA
— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) September 18, 2023
Rebel News reporter Robert Kraychik provided a quick update from outside the courthouse.
Update from @rkraychik on day 9 of trial for Tamara Lich and Chris Barber.
— Lincoln Jay (@lincolnmjay) September 18, 2023
Crown’s latest witness is a police officer from Quebec. The judge warned that his recent reviews of other cops’ records may compromise his ability to provide “independent evidence”.… pic.twitter.com/gxSUObGu4n
Kraychik provided another update on the trial in Ottawa.
Update from @rkraychik on the Tamara Lich and Chris Barber trial.
— Lincoln Jay (@lincolnmjay) September 18, 2023
The Crown’s witness, a Quebec police officer, arrived in Ottawa for crowd control work during the Freedom Convoy on February 17, 2022 - hours after Lich and Barber’s arrest. https://t.co/52zo5bkxKr pic.twitter.com/eErQV4HZxm
Watch a full recap of day eight of the trial below:
This page will be updated as proceedings continue.
- By Ezra Levant
Support Tamara's Legal Defense
The Democracy Fund, a Canadian charity, is supporting Tamara Lich by crowdfunding her legal bills. The cost of Tamara's expert legal representation is almost half a million dollars, which Tamara, an ordinary mom and grandma from Medicine Hat, Alberta, cannot afford. But we have a secret weapon: Lawrence Greenspon, one of Ottawa's top lawyers, is on Tamara's side. Lawrence is accustomed to handling complex and serious cases, but his team is expensive — and they are worth every penny. If you can, please chip in to help cover Tamara's legal fees.
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