Rebel News Podcast - DAVID MENZIES ｜ How the mainstream media covered the Freedom Convoy anniversary

00:00:00.000 Tonight, did you catch the mainstream media's coverage of the one-year anniversary of the

00:00:20.300 Ottawa Freedom Convoy?

00:00:22.180 Predictably, it was appalling.

00:00:24.760 It's Thursday, February 2nd, 2023.

00:00:27.620 I'm David Menzies, and this is the Ezra Levent Show.

00:00:34.880 For those seeking to feast their eyes and ears upon an orgy of misinformation, disinformation, and outright lies,

00:00:54.080 one need looked no further than how the mainstream media covered the one-year anniversary of the Freedom Convoy,

00:01:01.520 or as this event is labelled in MSM land, the so-called Freedom Convoy.

00:01:09.360 Yeah, so-called.

00:01:11.140 The irony is perverse, isn't it?

00:01:12.880 But journalists have skin in the game when it comes to that concept called freedom, after all.

00:01:18.100 You know, that little nugget known as freedom of the press.

00:01:22.000 Then again, their dismissal of freedom fighters and their bias in news reporting when it comes to the Freedom Convoy

00:01:29.160 shouldn't really come as any surprise.

00:01:31.680 The MSM journalists receive much of their paycheck content from Justin Trudeau these days.

00:01:38.480 And we know the media's sugar daddy loathed the 2022 Freedom Convoy.

00:01:44.480 Thus, the MSM shall loathe it too.

00:01:48.200 Thus, the Convoy's one-year anniversary is not something to remember fondly,

00:01:54.020 nor was the brutal crackdown something to lament.

00:01:57.560 Instead, the narrative some 12 months later is,

00:02:01.520 thank God those barbarians at the gate were dealt with so that sleepy Ottawa can get back to normal. 0.99

00:02:09.060 And so it was in the media coverage going back to last weekend

00:02:12.860 that there was virtually no condemnation of the federal government outrageously invoking the Emergencies Act

00:02:20.280 to brutally shut down a peaceful protest.

00:02:23.360 There was no condemnation of police horses trampling peaceful protesters.

00:02:30.020 Not even a single mention of my dear colleague Alexa Lavoie being shot in the thigh

00:02:35.080 with some sort of cylinder by a trigger-happy cop.

00:02:39.180 Remember that obscene incident?

00:02:40.940 Stop it! 0.99

00:02:42.200 Stop it! 0.99

00:02:42.680 Stop it! 0.99

00:02:43.420 Stop it! 0.99

00:02:45.540 Stop it! 0.99

00:02:46.520 Stop it! 0.99

00:02:46.540 Stop it! 0.99

00:02:47.360 You just tried and broke it!

00:02:49.660 You just tried and broke it!

00:02:50.980 Stop it! 0.99

00:02:52.360 Stop it! 0.99

00:02:52.840 You know, that guy who shot Alexa,

00:03:15.600 there are five vacancies at the Memphis police force right now.

00:03:19.440 Maybe you ought to apply for one of those positions.

00:03:22.880 And by the way, had the target of that projectile been CBC's Rosemary Barton,

00:03:29.060 I think we'd still be in the midst of a Royal Commission right now, you know, regarding violence against journalists.

00:03:35.860 Actually, what am I saying?

00:03:37.080 The idea of Rosemary Barton getting off her fat ricotta cheese candy ass 1.00

00:03:41.420 and actually doing some reporting in the field when the temperature is freezing

00:03:45.400 and violence might take a lot of money is not going to happen.

00:03:50.460 But I digress.

00:03:53.220 Rather, the copious copy served up regarding the one-year anniversary of the Freedom Convoy

00:03:59.200 is best summed up by Colonel Kurtz's most notable quote from Apocalypse Now.

00:04:07.040 The horror.

00:04:12.340 The horror.

00:04:13.500 Yeah, it was a real monster chiller horror theatre show that took place in Ottawa for almost a month last year.

00:04:20.780 If you believe the mainstream media coverage then and now.

00:04:25.840 Indeed, did you know that certain Ottawa residents to this very day suffer from a form of PTSD?

00:04:32.160 And that they are triggered if they hear a horn honking or get a whiff of diesel fuel?

00:04:38.980 No, seriously.

00:04:41.040 To this day, certain sights and sounds cause certain Ottawa residents to curl into the fetal position.

00:04:48.880 Thank goodness so many government employees are still working from home.

00:04:53.040 I think they need to play it safe these days and not get out of bed for, oh, I don't know, another couple of years.

00:04:59.340 So, in our autopsy of journalistic awfulness, let's start with the biggest media pig slurping from the taxpayer trough,

00:05:09.840 a.k.a. that billion-dollar-plus hog known as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

00:05:16.880 CBC went out of its way to note the psychological effects certain Ottawa residents experienced during the demonstration.

00:05:24.900 Take, for example, Debbie Owusu-Akiah says, Debbie, quote,

00:05:32.140 We never want to go through this ever again, end quote.

00:05:36.300 Um, go through what exactly?

00:05:39.060 Debbie, by the way, is the executive director of the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity.

00:05:44.980 So, you know for sure this source is at the top of the CBC reporter's Rolodex when it comes to important people to interview.

00:05:55.220 By the way, if her name does ring a bell, that might be because Debbie's group was one of 36 Ottawa organizations

00:06:02.080 that pressured the Canadian Tire Centre to cancel the Dr. Jordan Peterson event last Monday.

00:06:09.020 So, while Debbie's Spirit Unicorn organization is all about sexual diversity,

00:06:16.600 they do not champion a diversity of opinions, it would seem.

00:06:21.760 Indeed, my suggestion is for Debbie to reach out to Dr. Peterson for help.

00:06:27.460 If she is still psychologically traumatized by the sound of a horn honking,

00:06:34.240 me thinks Doc Peterson can help her and any other uber-sensitive Ottawa citizen

00:06:40.380 still recovering from such audio torture.

00:06:43.460 By the way, folks, I was stationed in Ottawa for most of the Freedom Convoy last year.

00:07:03.920 I stayed at a downtown hotel right in the thick of things.

00:07:08.140 And you know what?

00:07:09.300 I slept like a baby despite the horn honking.

00:07:12.060 Then again, I was working hard in the field during the day.

00:07:15.860 I'm not some desk-bound paper pusher for an organization like the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity.

00:07:24.660 As well, CTV News went out of its way to paint Prime Minister Blackface McGroper in a positive light one year later.

00:07:33.100 No surprise there.

00:07:34.800 CTV reporter Evan Soyboy Solomon worked for CTV during the Freedom Convoy.

00:07:40.060 Today, he now works for Justin Trudeau's best friend, Gerald Butts.

00:07:44.580 Man, they don't even bother hiding their conflicts of interest anymore, do they?

00:07:49.780 Anyway, CTV, being a well-trained media seal, reported the following,

00:07:55.680 Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he understands the anger and concerns protesters have.

00:08:06.140 Said Trudeau,

00:08:06.680 Yeah, lots of Canadians are indeed hurting thanks mostly to your policies, Mr. Prime Minister.

00:08:29.520 And no, they clearly do not have every right to express themselves and protest.

00:08:37.040 Did you forget that you invoked the Emergencies Act to clear the streets of the so-called fringe minority with unacceptable views?

00:08:46.120 Well, CTV sure as hell wasn't going to remind blackface, given that they know full well who's buttering their bread these days. 1.00

00:08:53.420 Oh, and this just in, did you catch that so-called academic study by Carolyn Orr Boino of the University of Maryland, which was just released the other day?

00:09:05.400 The title speaks volumes, quote,

00:09:07.500 Apparently, her argument boils down to this.

00:09:23.120 Because Russia today covered the freedom convoy, the Russian government must have been involved.

00:09:29.940 And because telegram channels that covered the convoy supported Russia regarding Ukraine, it must all be a Russian propaganda operation.

00:09:40.940 No, I'm not making this up.

00:09:42.600 The demonstrators were not salt-of-the-earth Canadians who were having their lives ruined by the awful policies of the Trudeau liberals,

00:09:50.360 but rather they were bad actors hired by Moscow.

00:09:54.560 You would think that surely by now the Russian collusion argument would be thoroughly debunked and discredited.

00:10:02.340 But apparently not.

00:10:04.200 Much like Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th,

00:10:07.860 every time you think the Russian collusion crackpot theory is dead and buried,

00:10:12.800 it arises from the grave yet again.

00:10:15.420 Nevertheless, this crazy hypothesis sounds good to the Ottawa Press Gallery sluggos, 0.99

00:10:22.600 who were retreating this nonsense upon release.

00:10:26.620 Indeed, here's what Stephen Mayher tweeted.

00:10:29.180 Oh, by the way, Mayher described himself as a Canadian journalist and a woke moralist.

00:10:35.120 Yikes.

00:10:36.180 Anyway, here's what he said in his tweet.

00:10:38.700 It is reasonable to infer that RT's extensive coverage of the convoy might be just the most visible sign of a broader influence campaign

00:10:49.980 encompassing other actors and activities, including proxy sources, cyber operations, social media accounts.

00:10:59.720 End quote.

00:11:00.800 Yep, your tax dollars hard at work yet again, folks.

00:11:03.760 Speaking of tax dollars, I know this might come as a shock, but it turns out that over the years,

00:11:09.280 Caroline Orbueno has received funding from the Justin Trudeau liberals too.

00:11:14.540 But who am I to suggest that, as they say in Vegas, the fix is in?

00:11:20.580 By the way, can you possibly guess which mainstream media sluggo was responsible for the absolute worst coverage

00:11:28.660 of the one-year anniversary of the Freedom Convoy?

00:11:31.660 Okay, folks, I apologize.

00:11:34.780 I didn't mean to insult your intelligence.

00:11:36.780 Yes, it was indeed Rachel Kilmore, or I mean Rachel Gilmore of Global News,

00:11:42.140 perhaps the most vapid and vacuous journalist to ever venture upon Parliament Hill in the history of Parliament Hill.

00:11:50.480 Now, if you're not familiar with Gilmore, here's the skinny.

00:11:53.920 She was essentially a nobody until she decided to latch onto a gimmick, and the gimmick was this, embrace victimhood.

00:12:02.400 And so it was that she would incessantly take to social media and complain and whine about all the hideous violence she was enduring as a female reporter.

00:12:12.840 Now, I know what you're saying, folks.

00:12:14.240 Who would savagely punch the lovely Miss Gilmore simply for doing her job? 1.00

00:12:20.280 Would you believe slap her? 0.87

00:12:22.940 How about pinching her? 0.99

00:12:24.700 Well, no, no, and no.

00:12:26.960 To the best of my knowledge, absolutely nothing physical has ever happened to Gilmore while she was covering her beat.

00:12:33.340 You see, her definition of violence is mean tweets on social media.

00:12:39.080 I swear, mean tweets.

00:12:41.440 And for enduring such mean tweets, I think she wants us to lower the flags to have staff or don white ribbons in her presence or something like that.

00:12:51.900 But this woe is me crybaby act is kind of working for her.

00:12:57.160 No one really knew anything about Rachel Gilmore until she started playing the victim card.

00:13:01.380 So she sort of emerged as a real-life female Rupert Pupkin, not someone famous for an actual talent or achievement, but rather being infamous as a self-manufactured victim.

00:13:16.300 By the way, if you're uncertain about the Rupert Pupkin reference, I beg of you to view the 1983 prescient masterpiece that is the king of comedy.

00:13:26.520 Alas, Rachel's bailiwick is more akin to the queen of tragedy.

00:13:32.260 Let's take her one-year anniversary of the Freedom Convoy story from the top.

00:13:37.180 Oh, by the way, if you have access to a recording of melancholy violin music, I strongly suggest you play that in the background to enhance the wannabe effect of Gilmore's putrid prose.

00:13:52.080 You know, something like this.

00:13:53.260 So without further ado, here goes.

00:14:06.320 Quote, Sarah Chown's car now rolls seamlessly through the busy downtown Ottawa intersection that, just one year ago, was made impassable by massive trucks and screaming protesters.

00:14:21.000 End quote.

00:14:21.400 Geez, one sentence in, and it's already time for a fact check.

00:14:25.980 No, the streets were not made impassable by trucks, but rather police security checks.

00:14:32.340 Even if you were a pedestrian, check out the encounter we endured when we went by a police checkpoint.

00:14:39.960 So you don't have any...

00:14:41.960 If you have a reservation on your phone for your hotel that is down here, then we can let you through.

00:14:47.300 But if you don't, then we can't let you through.

00:14:48.980 I would have to get Alexa to send it to me because it's both under her name.

00:14:51.700 And there has to be in one of your names.

00:14:53.340 Rent it in for you.

00:14:54.440 Right?

00:14:54.900 Is there any reason for this?

00:14:56.560 Because you know we're not demonstrators, ma'am.

00:14:58.180 We're members of the media.

00:15:00.080 Okay.

00:15:00.280 I mean, if this was a CBC reporter...

00:15:02.280 If you're through for the media purpose, you can get that authorization through the Ottawa City Police.

00:15:06.960 Please give them a call and they give you an authorization to get down here.

00:15:09.780 Oh, okay.

00:15:10.620 So we're kind of like Australia now.

00:15:12.080 Our colleague, Abby Yamini, always has to get a permit to perform journalism down under. 0.96

00:15:16.720 I can't comment on that.

00:15:17.720 I don't know.

00:15:18.740 You just want to get your hotel.

00:15:20.680 A hundred percent.

00:15:22.000 Okay.

00:15:22.260 You know, we can work around it somehow as far as if we see the reservation in your boss's name

00:15:27.940 and then we talk to your boss and confirm that you are who we are and they're staying there.

00:15:31.640 You know, like it'll be a long process, but we can do it.

00:15:33.740 Yeah.

00:15:34.300 It's freezing out.

00:15:36.460 No, this is nothing compared to yesterday.

00:15:38.460 Well, that is true.

00:15:39.400 I agree with you there.

00:15:40.780 I think we'll just collect our thoughts maybe and talk with Paul Luxon.

00:15:45.020 Yeah, so we can get the information number sent us.

00:15:47.480 All right, good.

00:15:48.040 All right, thanks.

00:15:48.680 Take care.

00:15:49.040 Back to Gilmore's nonsense.

00:15:51.140 Quote, but to this day, her drive to the Metropolitan Brasserie, a restaurant she co-owns

00:15:57.500 just 200 meters from Parliament Hill, is marked by memories of the so-called Freedom Convoy.

00:16:04.480 Not a day goes by still that I don't drive through that intersection and remember what happened there,

00:16:11.100 she told Global News in an interview.

00:16:13.320 The Metropolitan Brasserie is located on the corner of Redoux and Sussex Streets.

00:16:19.880 That intersection was one of the main gathering points during the convoy protests,

00:16:25.140 which snarled Ottawa streets for weeks, on end one year ago.

00:16:30.280 Sound systems were set up in the middle of the intersection in front of Chown's business,

00:16:36.060 blaring music as demonstrators danced and drank late into the night.

00:16:41.340 Shortly after the convoy's arrival, she closed down her restaurant,

00:16:46.520 which had been open for takeout after months of the ups and downs with COVID-19 public health measures.

00:16:53.180 Eyeing the large glass windows in front of her business,

00:16:57.420 she packed up any valuables, wine and liquor, that could be seen from the crowds outside.

00:17:02.900 Yeah, that's right, Sarah packed up all the valuables, there'd be Huns lurking outside after all.

00:17:11.620 I'm being facetious, of course, because had this restaurant remained open,

00:17:16.580 Sarah would have racked up record sales. 1.00

00:17:19.360 You see, when you have thousands of protesters who are a stone's throw away from your eatery,

00:17:23.960 guess what? They get hungry, they get thirsty, they would have packed Sarah's restaurant.

00:17:31.440 You see, while I was reporting in Ottawa last year,

00:17:35.420 I would estimate that at least 90% of downtown restaurants voluntarily closed their doors

00:17:41.800 out of completely unjustified fears that the demonstrators would have been violent.

00:17:47.840 Yeah, they bought the bogus narrative hook, line and stinker that was being passed around

00:17:55.340 by the federal government and their lapdogs in the MSM.

00:17:59.720 Check out my report from a closed Tim Hortons restaurant near Parliament Hill,

00:18:04.900 which sacrificed thousands of dollars worth of sales on a daily basis.

00:18:10.300 David Menzies for Rebel News here near Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

00:18:14.180 Well, folks, it looks like at the one-week mark of the trucker protests,

00:18:18.860 it could be that, yet again, more than 100,000 people are going to assemble here.

00:18:23.500 There are reports of another 200 to 300 more trucks coming in.

00:18:28.720 This city is jammed like I've never seen it.

00:18:32.620 And, you know, I couldn't help but notice the missed opportunity.

00:18:36.460 As my cameraman, Maricu, and I walked down towards Parliament Hill,

00:18:41.160 restaurant after restaurant was closed up.

00:18:44.180 But why? There is so much business to be had.

00:18:47.760 Here we are at the Tim Hortons.

00:18:49.540 This place is usually packed during normal times.

00:18:52.720 It would be a lineup out the door if they decided to open up.

00:18:56.480 So why aren't they opening up?

00:18:59.300 So one restaurant after another closed.

00:19:01.660 There might be another 100,000 people on the street.

00:19:04.740 Here we are outside of Tim Hortons.

00:19:06.820 There's a little pub down there.

00:19:08.760 They're closed.

00:19:09.600 Why are they closed when there's so much business to be had?

00:19:13.680 Well, you know, there's a lot of fear being spread on the news.

00:19:16.680 There's a lot of information that they decide to share.

00:19:20.460 And the thing is, they've created so much fear that people think we can't be here.

00:19:26.020 But if people came and actually saw the love and acceptance,

00:19:30.560 there's no reason that these restaurants should be closed out of fear of what's happening.

00:19:34.700 Yeah, well, it is true.

00:19:36.520 It's a great time to be open.

00:19:37.960 I mean, Ottawa is set up for big events, right?

00:19:41.340 I mean, Canada Day, all that kind of stuff.

00:19:43.280 They're used to that, right?

00:19:44.460 And this is a big event.

00:19:45.880 Why wouldn't you be open to get the business?

00:19:48.140 It just, it makes sense.

00:19:49.360 But I don't know, you know, whatever's influencing them, it's not a good decision.

00:19:54.980 Absolutely.

00:19:55.820 Yes.

00:19:56.380 It would have been official for everybody for them to be open.

00:19:59.140 We could warm up and they can have a great business.

00:20:02.580 Now, back to Gilmore's Drek.

00:20:05.660 Quote, Catherine McKinney spent much of their time walking the streets of their Centre Town Ward. 0.97

00:20:13.280 At the time, they were the city councillor representing Somerset Ward,

00:20:18.200 which was one of the hardest-hit neighbourhoods in Ottawa.

00:20:21.820 What they remember most vividly are the looks in people's eyes,

00:20:26.560 the fear in people's eyes, just as they went about their business,

00:20:30.720 going home, coming back from running an errand or from work.

00:20:35.500 That will always stay in my mind, they said.

00:20:39.420 End quote.

00:20:40.320 I'm sorry, folks, but I'm so distracted by the pronouns Gilmore is using here.

00:20:46.420 They and their.

00:20:48.320 Say, is McKinney one half of a Siamese twin, perhaps?

00:20:52.520 Actually, no.

00:20:54.480 Turns out she's one of those two-spirit thingies. 0.99

00:20:58.480 Thanks to Stephen LaDrew, we all know what that is.

00:21:01.400 Well, I think we do.

00:21:02.780 What's two-spirit?

00:21:04.800 Well, two-spirit sounds like there's someone they don't know whether they're, you know, fish or fowl.

00:21:09.100 They don't know whether they're frick or frack.

00:21:10.860 So they're clearly confused.

00:21:12.540 Oh, poor LaDrew.

00:21:14.020 After that report aired, his employer, Bell Media, fired him.

00:21:17.500 Apparently, you can't call people who might very well be mentally ill as being confused.

00:21:24.920 That's not nice.

00:21:26.740 Yep, there's your tolerant, loving, accepting left for you.

00:21:31.220 Anyway, more Gilmore Krapola, if you can take it, folks.

00:21:34.900 Quote,

00:21:35.100 Gilmore then goes on to quote various people from the Capital City crybaby community about the so-called lingering trauma.

00:22:05.720 Lingering trauma?

00:22:07.820 You know, folks, was it really just 80-something years ago that 15-year-old boys were lying about their age to enlist in World War II?

00:22:15.940 In a few generations, we've gone from having minors willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to adults in Ottawa being forever traumatized by horn honking and diesel fumes.

00:22:31.180 How profoundly sad is that?

00:22:33.720 A little more Gilmore.

00:22:35.740 Quote,

00:22:36.000 Looking forward, Ottawa's new mayor, Mark Sutcliffe, says the city has a clear focus, making sure the freedom convoy doesn't happen again.

00:22:46.440 End quote.

00:22:46.900 Yeah, unless the protesters are Trudeau-supported, such as those who say compromise Black Lives Matter, of course.

00:22:54.860 Quote,

00:22:56.080 The Ottawa police have been working very hard and collaborating with other police services to make sure that we're prepared for any events in the next few days, the next few weeks, in the next few years.

00:23:09.620 Yeah, that's right, Your Honour.

00:23:20.580 Let's make certain all that messy business like peaceful protesting and democracy never again take root in the nation's capital city ever again.

00:23:31.560 By the way, did you know there's a section of Wellington Street in front of the Parliament buildings that remains closed to vehicle traffic to this day?

00:23:43.040 Oh, it's not due to a blockade mounted by 18-wheeler trucks, uh-uh.

00:23:50.160 Rather, it's due to the city of Ottawa never bothering to remove those cinder block barriers from the area.

00:23:57.180 Apparently, that kind of blockade is a-okay.

00:24:02.680 But much like her other comrades in the mainstream media, the Gilmore girl knows who's paying her salary to offer up an unbiased news report and to, oh, God forbid, reach out to the Freedom Convoy participants to see what they have to say one year later.

00:24:21.120 Oh, that's way too much of an ask.

00:24:23.540 That would resemble, well, real journalism.

00:24:27.240 And what we have today is a mainstream media serving as a propaganda mill, the prime directive being to keep the Liberal Party of Canada in power.

00:24:39.340 Because they all know what is lurking behind door number two, that being Pierre Polyev and his promise to defund the media of government subsidies.

00:24:50.600 And that's the very worst part of the grotesque and brutally biased reporting by the mainstream media vis-a-vis the one-year anniversary of the Freedom Convoy.

00:25:03.640 It is being brought to you by, well, you, the ever-beleaguered taxpayer.

00:25:10.660 Well, folks, the reason I'm in this seat for Ezra Levent tonight is that the big boss man, he's all the way over in Lethbridge, Alberta, covering the latest Pastor Art Pawlowski trial.

00:25:34.660 Check this out. It is Ezra sitting down with Pastor Art and his lawyers for an interview.

00:25:41.240 Ezra Levent here for Rebel News.

00:25:42.700 I'm outside the courthouse in Lethbridge, Alberta, where there is a first recess in the trial of Arthur Pawlowski facing three charges,

00:25:50.560 two criminal code charges, and shockingly, an offense under the Criminal Infrastructure Defense Act, an anti-eco-terrorism law, the most baffling of them all.

00:26:02.140 And I'm joined by two out of the four members of the Legal Dream team, a fan favorite, Sarah Miller from JSS Barristers,

00:26:10.860 Chad Haggerty, former cop, now fighting for the good guys against overweening police.

00:26:17.380 And there were two other lawyers on the team, Emily Amir Canney and Yori Spencer Millis.

00:26:24.820 So I am so proud. I was sitting behind the Dream team, and just seeing them there gave me such encouragement.

00:26:33.200 Let's go straight to the lawyers. Sarah, can you explain what happened in court today?

00:26:37.240 It wasn't a normal trial. Everything was sort of agreed to in advance in terms of facts, right?

00:26:42.400 Yeah, so we entered a agreed statement of facts as Exhibit 1 to the trial.

00:26:45.880 It essentially sets out what everybody already knows.

00:26:49.720 There's a speech that Arthur gave February 3, 2022.

00:26:55.520 And the question now for the court to decide is whether that speech that we've now exhibited is criminal

00:27:01.020 or if it's an expression of political beliefs and otherwise constitutional.

00:27:06.420 So it was really that 19-minute video, which was played on a TV in court, and that's pretty much it.

00:27:12.700 I read the agreed statement of facts. No one is even claiming that he blocked a road, that he has a truck, that he was an organizer.

00:27:20.840 It really was. Is this 19-minute speech a crime?

00:27:26.260 Am I simplifying things too much, or is that where we are?

00:27:29.400 That's where we are.

00:27:30.140 Unbelievable. Now, Chad, it's great to see you again.

00:27:32.540 I remember when we met in Calgary.

00:27:34.000 You've got an interesting path because you were a policeman for many years, and now you're defending against what I consider overreach by police.

00:27:41.460 I thought there would be more meat on the bones on the government side.

00:27:46.920 I mean, to come at them with that Critical Infrastructure Defense Act, I remember when that law was brought in.

00:27:53.020 It was to stop Greenpeace from, you know, sabotaging a pipeline, to stop railways from being blocked,

00:27:59.080 and to use it in its first instance against a sermon from a pastor.

00:28:03.960 How can this be proceeding?

00:28:05.720 I mean, am I too skeptical here?

00:28:08.940 Give me your thoughts.

00:28:10.600 So one of the things that you're aware of, and I think many are, is that we've challenged the constitutional validity of the Critical Infrastructure Defense Act.

00:28:19.180 What we found out in recent days and what everybody in court found out today is that we are not going to have the opportunity to challenge the constitutionality,

00:28:28.540 the validity, the veracity of that act.

00:28:32.740 It would only happen if Art was found guilty.

00:28:35.740 If it comes to pass that Art is found guilty, which we don't expect, but it is a process,

00:28:41.500 if he's found guilty, the Crown will be entering a stay of proceedings in respect of the Critical Infrastructure Defense Act.

00:28:48.500 So namely, they're not going to enter a conviction.

00:28:50.940 If that's the way it's going, essentially that charge will come off the table.

00:28:56.040 So that looks to me like they don't have confidence in it, like they're almost regretting making the charge

00:29:01.760 because seriously, this is your test case, the Christian pastor giving a fire and brimstone sermon.

00:29:07.780 This is your eco-terrorism law.

00:29:10.100 I watched that and I thought the Crown doesn't want to have that tested.

00:29:16.040 Well, one of the things that happens with police officers, you mentioned overreach by the police or by the state.

00:29:22.040 Shotgunning charges are laying multiple charges that cover the same action is a common tactic.

00:29:29.040 And what they've done here is they've conceded that there's a case called Regiana and Kynap, or Rex and Kynap.

00:29:35.080 It says you can't be convicted for multiple things for the same act.

00:29:38.540 Essentially, that's very simplified.

00:29:41.080 So what they're saying is that if he's found guilty of mischief,

00:29:44.300 the exact same action is essentially the exact same offense under the Critical Infrastructure Defense Act.

00:29:50.820 So essentially, they're saying we've hit him twice with the same blow.

00:29:54.960 That's not how it should run.

00:29:56.020 That's what the Supreme Court has said, and that's what the Crown has conceded today.

00:29:59.040 I was not impressed with the prosecutor, but maybe I'm a tiny bit biased.

00:30:03.140 Sarah, I know that you guys have to get back in gear.

00:30:06.160 The judge is reviewing materials.

00:30:08.280 That's what was interesting to me.

00:30:09.620 There were no witnesses.

00:30:11.100 No one was swearing an oath to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth,

00:30:13.800 because there was nothing other than that video that Arthur himself published to the world.

00:30:18.880 It's really creepy to me, though.

00:30:21.960 I mean, I suppose words can be crimes.

00:30:23.860 Uttering a death threat, that's a crime.

00:30:26.220 Fraud of words, that's a crime.

00:30:28.220 But I watched that video, and we put it up on our website, savearthur.com.

00:30:32.480 It sounds like Arthur.

00:30:34.060 I mean, you've gotten to know him over the last three years.

00:30:36.500 He is a Old Testament-style pastor.

00:30:40.560 He uses the language, the metaphor of militarism,

00:30:44.160 but he was crystal clear that he meant it to be peaceful.

00:30:47.640 Do you think that the Crown is acting on a political mission here?

00:30:54.600 I don't know if you can answer that question.

00:30:56.880 It sure feels political to me.

00:30:58.740 I just, I'm a fan of Arthur's, but I do not see him stepping over the line here,

00:31:03.780 and I don't think any good judge is going to say, yeah, it's a crime.

00:31:07.060 I don't know if there's even a question in there, Sarah.

00:31:09.160 I'm just sort of flummoxed by what I saw.

00:31:12.200 It is understandably frustrating to see what is a video that is posted to the Internet

00:31:18.980 to result in all of this.

00:31:22.040 Not only the use of the Crown's time, the use of the court's time,

00:31:25.980 but to put somebody at risk of, well, actually not at risk.

00:31:30.500 He did serve time.

00:31:31.720 He has pretrial custody of 51 days, all related to this.

00:31:35.040 Related to this one.

00:31:35.840 So he served time in jail for the Coutts speech already?

00:31:40.520 Well, he was detained pretrial, so he's got pretrial custody.

00:31:46.160 So that was part of his 51 days in prison.

00:31:48.180 So he's already served time in prison.

00:31:50.780 Yes.

00:31:51.980 You know what?

00:31:52.720 I'm mad about this, but I'm very proud to see you two

00:31:55.920 and your two teammates in court there.

00:31:58.420 I'm going to let you go because I want you to spend all your mental energy preparing,

00:32:01.560 but give me 30 seconds of what the procedure will look like.

00:32:05.280 We're reconvening today at 1.

00:32:07.400 The judge is going to ask some questions of the Crown.

00:32:09.720 Then what happens, and what's on schedule for tomorrow?

00:32:13.160 So the Crown's going to give their closing arguments, oral arguments.

00:32:16.720 They've put in their written arguments.

00:32:18.160 They're going to address their oral arguments.

00:32:20.060 The judge may or may not have questions.

00:32:21.920 He may participate in some limited way.

00:32:24.580 And then we will either, depending on how much time we have left in the day,

00:32:29.080 we'll either start our closing arguments, or we'll adjourn until tomorrow,

00:32:31.960 and we'll start our closing arguments tomorrow.

00:32:33.640 Well, I'm so proud of you two, and let me look in the camera at our viewers

00:32:37.800 because for almost three years, Sarah and her dream team have defended Arthur.

00:32:43.260 How many times have you been in court for him?

00:32:45.020 It's got to be close to 20 now.

00:32:46.980 I have no idea.

00:32:48.840 Many, many times.

00:32:49.580 Probably around 20, sitting around there.

00:32:52.320 There is no way a normal person could afford to pay for excellent legal assistance.

00:32:58.100 No one could do that.

00:32:59.260 And even a very wealthy person would say it's not worth it, just plead guilty.

00:33:02.300 Like, to have a man of principle like Arthur fight with a team that can win is almost impossible.

00:33:07.840 The only way that is possible is because our viewers in Canada and around the world have chipped in.

00:33:14.140 Average gift, $58.

00:33:16.060 So these aren't high rollers.

00:33:17.720 These are pensioners. 1.00

00:33:18.920 These are Christians.

00:33:19.620 These are non-Christians. 1.00

00:33:20.500 These are people who are worried about police overreach.

00:33:22.940 If you want to help keep this team going, I think we're going to win this one.

00:33:26.780 Go to saveArthur.com.

00:33:28.340 Chip in.

00:33:29.120 You'll get a tax receipt from the Democracy Fund that you can use at tax time.

00:33:32.360 So it doesn't even cost you that much.

00:33:34.920 As for LeVant here for Rebel News, as you can see, I'm standing outside the Lethbridge Courthouse.

00:33:38.440 With me, the man on trial today, Arthur Pawlowski, the pastor who would not shut up when the state told him to shut up.

00:33:47.300 And what's incredible is you are on trial today for giving a sermon.

00:33:52.040 That is not an exaggeration.

00:33:53.840 That is the only evidence that was shown in court.

00:33:57.020 A 19-minute sermon.

00:33:58.560 Nothing else.

00:33:59.320 What do you think about that?

00:34:00.740 I'm blown away by it.

00:34:03.540 Well, like I said to other people, I am not on trial.

00:34:07.140 Pastor Arthur Pawlowski is not on trial.

00:34:08.920 Canada is.

00:34:10.020 Freedom of expression is.

00:34:11.320 Freedom of religion is.

00:34:12.520 If I would go down, Canada effectively would lose its right to freely express themselves.

00:34:20.180 You can criminalize then any public meeting, any private conversation, any church sermon, any rally, just because.

00:34:28.960 If the Crown Prosecutor would not like what you say, hey, we can charge you with mischief.

00:34:33.860 We can charge you with this, with that.

00:34:35.240 And so that's one thing.

00:34:37.000 A second one is a shocker to me that my speech, while during that speech three times, I said to the Canadians, to the truckers, to the farmers, to the people of Alberta to rise up, to stand up, hold the line, but do it peacefully.

00:34:52.600 Do it without guns, without swords.

00:34:54.680 Three times I repeated that.

00:34:56.840 This is a peaceful uprising.

00:34:58.440 This is a solidarity style.

00:35:00.000 And I am being compared, or my speech is being compared, to a Rwanda genocide.

00:35:04.700 I mean, that's a shocker.

00:35:06.340 Yeah, that's incredible.

00:35:08.100 It was an unusual trial.

00:35:10.440 I've been to many trials in my life, and most of them have a witness, and they're cross-examined.

00:35:14.840 But there was nothing else, because it really just was the speech.

00:35:19.500 They had, the government and your lawyers had an agreed statement of facts.

00:35:24.700 You don't have a truck.

00:35:25.960 You didn't block the road.

00:35:27.160 You weren't an organizer.

00:35:28.480 You just went, gave the speech, and came back.

00:35:30.660 You were in and out in a matter of hours.

00:35:32.540 It's such a tiny, narrow case.

00:35:35.660 But for the government to throw this many resources at it, police, two prosecutors, this court for two days,

00:35:42.800 this feels like a political prosecution.

00:35:47.140 A hundred percent.

00:35:47.820 And do not forget that just before Christmas, they dumped thousands of pages of so-called disclosure

00:35:53.600 on the lap of my defense team, just to frustrate.

00:35:57.260 And I remember Sarah was telling me that the people that dropped it, they were laughing,

00:36:01.380 and it says defense will never be able to go through that.

00:36:03.520 So here is what I believe they were planning to do.

00:36:05.640 They wanted us to postpone the trial.

00:36:08.040 You see, they don't want to face us like men.

00:36:10.260 They are cowards, they are tyrants, they have agenda, and they hate anyone that dares to call them out,

00:36:17.740 anyone that dares to stand against what they're planning to do, that you own nothing,

00:36:22.000 you will be munching on the crickets, and you will be riding a bicycle.

00:36:25.540 Anyone that dares to say the other side of the story becomes a target.

00:36:30.080 So it's very disappointing from so many levels.

00:36:34.180 It's disappointing that the government will be willing to waste millions of dollars on this persecution and prosecution,

00:36:40.700 and also that this was not stopped with this new government in power right now.

00:36:46.020 I was really hoping that the conservative government is going to do what they promised that they're going to do.

00:36:51.640 But here I am today, not just me on trial, but you as well.

00:36:56.380 Every Canadian is on trial today.

00:36:58.520 You know, I was watching your video, and I had watched it before, and it was a pep talk.

00:37:03.340 It was a sermon.

00:37:04.160 It was a history lesson about Poland and Lech Walesa, the Solidarity Movement.

00:37:08.840 It was a peaceful political speech.

00:37:11.760 You thrice, three times, you said, keep it peaceful.

00:37:14.520 And I thought to myself, you know, I give speeches sometimes, too.

00:37:18.140 In fact, I gave speeches to truckers, a speech to truckers in Ottawa just for a minute.

00:37:22.080 And I thought, if they can prosecute you, why can't they prosecute me?

00:37:26.500 Why can't they prosecute anyone that they simply disagree with?

00:37:31.200 If what you did was a crime, then I'm a criminal, too.

00:37:35.200 And I put it to any Canadian who disagrees with the establishment as a criminal.

00:37:39.680 This is a shocking case.

00:37:41.500 And I think a lot turns on this, much more than just your freedom.

00:37:46.900 I really think this is important.

00:37:48.700 Oh, 100%.

00:37:49.280 Like I said at the beginning, this is truly a trial of the century.

00:37:52.680 I don't think Canadians realize how serious this trial is.

00:37:56.340 And you're absolutely right.

00:37:57.400 I listened to your speech in Ottawa.

00:37:58.940 I was very proud that, you know, you were there.

00:38:01.820 You were willing to risk your life, risking being arrested.

00:38:05.140 But excuse me, for what?

00:38:06.640 If I'm guilty, you're guilty, and anybody else is guilty as well.

00:38:10.480 Now imagine a pastor trying to deliver a sermon, a fiery sermon to his congregants.

00:38:15.900 After, if I would be convicted of a criminal offense, there you go.

00:38:20.360 You have no right to deliver sermons.

00:38:22.420 You have no right to speak at the town halls.

00:38:24.700 You have no right to even privately communicate your feelings peacefully,

00:38:29.400 because the government might deem that speech criminal.

00:38:33.460 Well, it's incredible.

00:38:35.280 I just want you to give one word.

00:38:36.840 I mean, not quite 100 people now.

00:38:39.540 There was a little more earlier.

00:38:40.940 The courtroom itself completely packed.

00:38:42.780 I had to jam myself in to get in there.

00:38:45.840 A lot of these folks have come in from out of town.

00:38:48.480 What do you make about this?

00:38:49.880 Do you think it's a statement that this prosecution is out of touch with the people?

00:38:55.640 Give me a word about the folks who came to show you support.

00:38:57.860 Well, there's a lot more inside.

00:38:59.740 It's extremely cold right now, right?

00:39:01.580 And lots of people came with their families.

00:39:03.460 Well, it's a statement on itself.

00:39:05.440 People are sick and tired of the tyrants.

00:39:07.800 And you've got to remember, it's Thursday.

00:39:09.480 People do work.

00:39:10.480 That's right.

00:39:10.820 But they received thousands of emails, texts.

00:39:14.420 I mean, actually, they do not stop.

00:39:16.300 People are saying, we're praying for you.

00:39:18.060 Stand.

00:39:18.760 You cannot win.

00:39:19.860 We cannot lose.

00:39:20.860 You cannot lose.

00:39:22.100 We cannot lose this case.

00:39:23.900 This is very important.

00:39:25.080 So people simply came to support.

00:39:27.480 We're going to have a Holy Communion together.

00:39:30.580 We were singing some songs.

00:39:32.440 We started, of course, everything with our national anthem.

00:39:35.080 We love Canada.

00:39:36.180 We're Canadians.

00:39:36.920 I'm very grateful for this land that gave me a second chance, if you will, another opportunity.

00:39:43.040 Now I've got three children and I'm worried about my children.

00:39:46.160 What kind of a nation are we going to pass to the next generation?

00:39:49.880 And really, right now, it's up to us.

00:39:52.360 So in a few minutes, we're going to continue singing.

00:39:55.200 We're going to do a Holy Communion, a Lord's Supper together.

00:39:58.580 And then we'll go back to the court.

00:40:02.240 Last question.

00:40:02.960 I think I saw your son in there asking very good questions for your lawyer.

00:40:06.580 Do you think your son's going to become a lawyer?

00:40:09.600 A hundred percent.

00:40:10.480 He actually applied already.

00:40:11.980 Are you serious?

00:40:12.680 Yes.

00:40:13.040 He finished.

00:40:13.840 He passed his LSAT.

00:40:15.320 Are you serious?

00:40:16.060 He already applied for the law school.

00:40:17.920 He's so young.

00:40:18.880 Well, he's 22.

00:40:20.940 Okay.

00:40:21.240 So he looks younger than 22.

00:40:22.860 Well, wouldn't that be something?

00:40:24.840 If after all the trials and ordeals of the last three years, if one thing that came out

00:40:30.200 of it was that a Pavlovsky were to become admitted to the law society and become a freedom-fighting

00:40:36.340 lawyer, I can think of no finer legacy.

00:40:39.440 You must be so proud.

00:40:40.660 I saw him asking very smart questions of Sarah Miller, your lawyer.

00:40:45.160 You must be very proud.

00:40:46.460 I am.

00:40:47.020 He's a lot smarter than me.

00:40:48.260 And of course, his English is perfect, right?

00:40:51.100 I sometimes listen to him.

00:40:52.300 So, my God, why can't you just, you know, up my game a little bit and give me a little

00:40:56.320 bit more wisdom so I can sound a little bit better?

00:40:59.560 Yeah, I am extremely.

00:41:00.620 We are, with my wife, extremely proud of our son, Nathaniel.

00:41:03.740 As you remember, he was the one with my brother David that organized the longest ongoing protest

00:41:09.040 in a history of the Riemann Center outside of Calgary's Riemann.

00:41:14.080 And every day for 47 days, they were right there fighting for my life and showing to the whole

00:41:20.240 world what's really going on in Canada.

00:41:23.020 So, he is already applying for the lawsuit, for the law school.

00:41:27.560 And, you know, people are laughing because, as you remember, many years ago, I was called

00:41:33.000 a street advocate, right?

00:41:35.860 Street lawyer.

00:41:36.840 And now, people say, well, you need an in-house lawyer.

00:41:40.600 And it pays off.

00:41:42.660 I mean, he's a smart kid.

00:41:43.800 He has been witnessing his father going through over 340 citations, over 100 court cases, 16

00:41:50.980 arrests, since he was five years old.

00:41:53.320 I once listened to his interview that he gave to some American big network.

00:41:58.700 And I asked him, how do you feel about that?

00:42:00.340 He says, well, that's the only thing I know.

00:42:02.120 My father is in and out of jail, in and out of court.

00:42:05.060 So, for me, I used to it.

00:42:07.540 But that's what triggered his interest in law.

00:42:10.180 He wants to fight for people like me.

00:42:12.120 He wants to fight for people that are facing injustice at the hands of the bullies.

00:42:18.020 Well, when he's called to the bar, I want to be a client of his because I know he'll

00:42:21.940 fight with the determination of a Pavlovsky.

00:42:24.900 Fight like a lion.

00:42:26.000 Great to see you.

00:42:26.920 Thank you so much.

00:42:27.580 Good luck.

00:42:28.040 And, folks, we do have a legal dream team in there.

00:42:31.800 Four lawyers today.

00:42:32.680 Three lawyers and an articling student.

00:42:34.220 It doesn't come cheap.

00:42:35.660 As you know, we've been defending Arthur for three years.

00:42:39.080 And I want to say to your listeners, I want to tell you,

00:42:42.120 I thank you so much for every penny, for every dollar you have donated.

00:42:45.420 I mean, the truth is, and that's the truth, I would not be able to do that without the

00:42:50.180 support of the Rebel News, without the Democracy Defense Fund.

00:42:54.440 I'll just not simply be able to afford.

00:42:58.300 We paid over a million dollars right now, by my estimation, of the legal fees just to

00:43:05.980 defend our God and state-given rights.

00:43:09.060 If it was not for you, I'll probably be in prison.

00:43:11.740 I'm probably dead because you know what they tried to do to me when I was locked.

00:43:15.860 I heard it, and that was just shocking.

00:43:18.660 Well, listen, we're grateful to you because we can give $100 or $250, but you are giving

00:43:25.260 yourself.

00:43:26.520 And my theology is not that strong.

00:43:29.360 I'm Jewish.

00:43:29.700 I don't know the Christian theology, but it's Christ-like to offer your physical body as

00:43:36.280 a sacrifice.

00:43:36.880 You were jailed.

00:43:38.180 You were arrested.

00:43:39.440 You were handcuffed for others.

00:43:42.360 And so the least we can do is chip in a few bucks because you're the one on the firing

00:43:49.180 line.

00:43:49.680 And God willing, we'll keep you out of jail.

00:43:51.400 And I know we will.

00:43:52.260 You know, Jesus was the biggest freedom fighter ever.

00:43:55.860 The Bible says that who comes to him is free indeed.

00:43:58.480 You see, he died for freedom.

00:44:00.240 If he died for my freedom, I'm willing to be jailed for your freedom.

00:44:03.940 It's amazing.

00:44:04.520 Arthur Pawlowski, if you want to chip in, go to saveArthur.com.

00:44:08.160 We will defend you until the end because you are defending us until the end.

00:44:13.160 All right.

00:44:13.500 I'll have more updates from the Lethbridge Courthouse today and tomorrow.

00:44:16.500 Well, folks, lots of feedback regarding last night's monologue by Ezra LeBant pertaining

00:44:33.980 to that university paper linking Russian collusion to the Freedom Convoy, which I mentioned earlier

00:44:41.880 in my monologue tonight.

00:44:44.320 Perky Lady writes,

00:44:46.040 Yeah, I think that when it comes to the war in Ukraine, that's a bit of a red herring.

00:45:01.520 The main point of this paper is the fact that there are somehow, I don't know, people in

00:45:09.240 Moscow directing what happened on Wellington Street in Ottawa last February.

00:45:15.220 Many rebel reporters were there.

00:45:18.700 We didn't get any whiff of this ridiculous and debunked Russian collusion theory.

00:45:26.220 Can't the left move on already?

00:45:28.740 Free West Guy writes,

00:45:30.560 Yeah, I have to admit, I'm a big Donald Trump fan.

00:45:47.040 On this particular point, he's wrong, and I wish he'd drop it.

00:45:51.540 But we'll see what happens in the months ahead when it comes to the Republicans having a nominee

00:45:57.380 for the 2024 election campaign.

00:46:00.860 Lots of drama to ensue, I'm certain.

00:46:04.320 Well, folks, that wraps up tonight's edition of the Ezra LeBant show.

00:46:07.980 Thanks for tuning in.

00:46:08.820 I believe my colleague, Sheila Gunn-Reed, is substituting for Ezra tomorrow.

00:46:13.880 In the meantime, stay safe and stay sane.

Rebel News Podcast - February 03, 2023

DAVID MENZIES ｜ How the mainstream media covered the Freedom Convoy anniversary

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