Prosecution evidence undermines their own ‘anything but peaceful’ Freedom Convoy claim
Videos of Chris Barber repeatedly calling for 'peaceful' protests used as evidence of criminality
Prosecution played a series of TikTok videos by Chris Barber during the last week of the Freedom Convoy demonstration – in which he repeatedly called on his supporters to be "peaceful" in their protests – as evidence of his alleged criminality on Thursday, the third day of his and Tamara Lich's trial in Ottawa, ON.
"Peace is the only option," said Barber in one his TikTok videos, advising supporters of the Freedom Convoy to behave "like Gandhi did".
"We're representing so many Canadians, those that are here physically, those that can't be here physically, and those that are no longer with us," Barber said in another video.
"This is love," he said in a video he recorded at the heart of the demonstration on Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill.
He rhetorically asked his viewers if the demonstrators he recorded appeared to be "violent protesters and occupiers".
Another TikTok video from Chris Barber - saying, "Keep those hugs and smiles going... we want no mandates and [we want] unity... [the protest] has always been peaceful." - another instance of the prosecution undermining its own argument.https://t.co/TWDiMnjMOA
— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) September 7, 2023
Barber regularly maintained an emphasis on peaceful, non-violent demonstrations across most of the TikTok videos played in and introduced to the court by the Crown as evidence.
Quick update from @rkraychik on day 3 of the Tamara Lich and Chris Barber trial. Ottawa Police Sergeant currently on stand as witness for prosecution.
— Lincoln Jay (@lincolnmjay) September 7, 2023
Videos being played from Barber’s TikTok. Barber repeatedly calls for peaceful demonstration.https://t.co/52zo5bl5zZ pic.twitter.com/K4S6G0bmm7
Barber also repeatedly used the term "tyranny" to describe violations of constitutional rights imposed by all levels of government within the framework of "public health" as a measure to reduce the spread Covid-19.
He invoked totalitarian and single-party states including North Korea and China while maintaining, "We want no mandates."
The frequent theme of Barber calling for "peaceful" demonstrations appeared to undermine and directly contradict the prosecution's claim that the Freedom Convoy was "anything but peaceful."
Asked if the Crown undermined its own framing of the Freedom Convoy as "anything but peaceful" with its selected series of TikTok videos produced by Barber, Lich's co-counsel told Rebel News that time would tell in terms of Justice Heather Perkins-McVey's final judgment.
Barber and Lich are both being charged with mischief, intimidation, obstructing police, and counselling others to commit mischief.
- By Ezra Levant
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