After jury selection yesterday, the trial for three alleged organizers of the 2022 Coutts border blockade continues today in Lethbridge, Alberta. 

Alex Van Herk, Marco Van Huigenbos, and George Janzen are each facing up to 10 years in prison 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 effective Canada has seen in decades.

Rebel News reporter Robert Kraychik is on the ground at the Lethbridge courthouse, providing independent reporting on the trials of three of the men charged by the RCMP at the Coutts blockade.

Follow along below for live updates from the trial:

In the video, Van Huigenbos also called on the RCMP to end its blockade of the Coutts-Sweet Grass border crossing, while stating that protesters' motivations for demonstrating are to protect the future of freedom for their children and progeny.

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 3, 2024

A Rebel News video - a brief interview w/@marco_huigenbos and @alexvanherk, is played by the Crown, in which Van Huigenbos says he wishes for a peaceful end to the Coutts protest, an end to "restrictive mandates", and for government to be accountable to "grassroots".

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 3, 2024

Given that the Coutts blockade/protest was entirely peaceful and jovial (as was described to me by people I fully trust), similar to the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa, it takes a particular mindset for a mayor to advise residents to be fearful/guarded around freedom-minded Canadians.

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 3, 2024

Jim Willett, former Coutts mayor, said the Coutts protest brought "a lot of strangers" to the village, so he advised residents, "lock your doors [and] keep your kids off the street"; this is revealing of his attitude towards freedom-minded Canadians. https://t.co/KGVQVALjFW

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 3, 2024

Jim Willet, former mayor of Coutts who worked in that role during the Coutts protest, is the Crown's first witness; Crown is seeking to establish his credibility, presumably to testify to economic damage done to Coutts as a result of of the protest. https://t.co/KGVQVALjFW

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 3, 2024

Steven Johnston, lead prosecutor in the Coutts Trio trial, essentially specializes in prosecuting peaceful protesters who demonstrated against the COVID-19 Enterprise. The defendants' attorneys seem exceedingly competent, in my humble layperson's opinion. https://t.co/KGVQVAKLQo pic.twitter.com/RCcvoN1na9

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 3, 2024

Big correction: Publication ban is NOT in effect in Coutts Trio trial. I must be losing my mind or low on sleep, because I misunderstood the judge's directive. The publication ban is is ONLY over proceedings in which the jury is excused from the courtroom.

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 3, 2024

Trials for Coutts Trio and Chris Carbert/Anthony Olienick resume today. Publication ban still in effect over both trials, but there's still plenty of opportunities to share important and educational information with the dear Rebel News audience. https://t.co/KGVQVALjFW pic.twitter.com/WZRd69PBqi

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 3, 2024

Given that @marco_huigenbos, @alexvanherk, and George Janzen are charged with mischief for unlawfully obstructing the AB-4 highway near the Coutts border crossing, what about the federal government's obstruction of traffic with absurd regulations via the COVID-19 Enterprise?

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 3, 2024

I'm admittedly a Western chauvinist/Anglophile, but there's something amazing about the jury trial system. It's a marvelous treasure of the English jurisprudential tradition that we should cherish and protect (this includes the presumption of innocence). https://t.co/KGVQVALjFW

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 3, 2024

Correction: Publication ban is STILL in effect in the Coutts Trio trial, despite the jury being selected and entering the courtroom for the first time as a group. Judge says the ban will expire once the jury's been sequestered for deliberations. https://t.co/KGVQVALjFW

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 3, 2024

The Crown says, "Nobody thinks the trial will take three weeks," meaning he and the defense teams expect the trial of the Coutts Trio to conclude before April 22. I've come understand that the defense teams share this expected timeline. https://t.co/KGVQVALjFW

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 3, 2024

One of the jurors selected yesterday has since shared concerns with the judge that she is uncertain she can execute her jurist duties impartially. She is concerned about being partial/biased in an unfair way. Judge, defense teams, and Crown are now considering how to proceed.

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 3, 2024

Trials resume for the Coutts Trio and Chris Carbert and Anthony Olienick. I'll try to bounce between the two courtrooms. As the jury's been selected in the first trial, the publication ban's been lifted, which isn't the case for the second. https://t.co/mIhJKvGq4E

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 3, 2024

Good Morning Friends

Yesterday, we started off with our jury selection. The process was very interesting. Jurors received instructions from the judge, were sworn in, and then answered questions the crown & defense had agreed on prior to trial.
It was a typical, diverse…

— Marco Van Huigenbos (@marco_huigenbos) April 3, 2024