The trial for three alleged organizers of the 2022 Coutts border blockade continues today in Lethbridge, Alberta. Yesterday's proceedings saw veteran RCMP officer Mark Wielgosz testify about his experience responding to the protest.

Alex Van Herk, Marco Van Huigenbos, and George Janzen are each facing up to 10 years behind bars for their roles in the peaceful demonstration. Each of the men are being charged with mischief over $5000 for their involvement in the protest.

The Coutts blockade was an 18-day peaceful demonstration against government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions held at the border of Coutts, Alberta and Sweet Grass, Montana in early 2022.

Halting millions of dollars in trade and occurring concurrently with the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa, the protest proved to be one of the most impactful Canada has seen in decades.

Rebel News reporter Robert Kraychik is on the ground at the Lethbridge courthouse, providing independent reporting on the trial of the Coutts Three.

Follow along below for live updates from the trial:

Michael Johnston notes that this democratic element of the protest's structure further indicates that his client did not exercise leadership control over the demonstrators as the Crown is alleging. https://t.co/8FUUkzB2Ig https://t.co/mIhJKvGq4E

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 5, 2024

Alex Van Herk's lawyer, Michael Johnston, has RCMP officer Mark Wielgosz acknowledge that his client stated, in talks with the RCMP during the protest, that a majority vote from protesters would be needed to accept certain terms offered by the RCMP. https://t.co/KGVQVALjFW

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 5, 2024

This is important because parts of the Crown's presentation, questions of witnesses, and played videos focus on moments where Alex Van Herk (and Marco Van Huigenbos and George Janzen) spoke to the public and RCMP as a sort of Coutts protest liaison. https://t.co/7A2hIeIAsM

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 5, 2024

Michael Johnston, Alex Van Herk's lawyer, asks Mark Wielgosz if he was the RCMP's leader given that he operated as a messenger for the RCMP with the Coutts protesters, emphasizing that speaking for a group is not in and of itself indicative of leadership. https://t.co/KGVQVALjFW

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 5, 2024

Worth noting that former Alberta premier @jkenney refused to negotiate with the Coutts Three, who were requesting/demanding an end to abusive and extractive governmental decrees edicts, and mandates framed as "public health" measures re: COVID-19. https://t.co/KGVQVALjFW

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 5, 2024

RCMP officer Mark Wielgosz testifies that at some points, Alberta Highway 4 (AB-4), which terminates at Coutts, was at times, completely blocked by the Coutts demonstration/blockade, and that some motorists were temporarily stuck/trapped on the road. https://t.co/KGVQVALjFW

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 5, 2024

Crown plays a Rebel News video clip of the defendants in Coutts, in which @marco_huigenbos calls for maintenance of peaceful assembly and says they "condemn all individual acts of violence and intimidation", and seek to protect "the future of this province [and] this country."

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 5, 2024

Justice Keith Yamauchi, the presiding judge in the Coutts Three trial, seems like a very sensible, competent, fair-minded man (my layperson's opinion). Some lawyers who know much more than I have also shared this view of him with me, including their impressions of his reputation.

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 5, 2024

Friday's proceedings will begin shortly for the Coutts Three in Lethbridge, AB. The day should begin with some more questions and cross-examination of Crown witness Mark Wielgosz, an RCMP officer who worked as a sort of liaison with the protesters in 2022. https://t.co/mIhJKvGq4E

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 5, 2024