'They were barricaded': Defence begins case in trial for Freedom Convoy organizer

'Freedom Convoy' organizer Pat King pictured in Ottawa on May 16, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA — The defence for Freedom Convoy organizer Pat King is arguing that protesters were trapped within downtown Ottawa when police moved to end the three-week demonstration in 2022.

That February, Ottawa police warned protesters they would face charges if they didn't stop blocking streets, and King was one of those arrested during the operation.

He has pleaded not guilty to mischief, counselling others to commit mischief, obstructing police and other offences.

Defence lawyer Natasha Calvinho says all levels of government failed Ottawa residents -- not King or anyone else who was "peacefully" protesting COVID-19 measures.

She says King and other truckers were barricaded in, pointing to heavy equipment and cement dividers that police and city officials put around the downtown perimeter after the protest began.

Calvinho is also arguing that King was not in control of other protesters whose trucks were parked on downtown streets, how they got there or why they did what they did.

King was a prominent figure in the convoy that gridlocked the area near Parliament Hill as part of a protest against public-health restrictions, COVID-19 vaccine mandates and the federal government.

The defence called its first witness, Daniel Bulford, on Wednesday.

The 42-year-old is a former RCMP officer whom Freedom Convoy organizers appointed as a security co-ordinator.

Bulford testified in the Superior Court of Ontario that police surrounded the downtown core with barricades, heavy equipment such as graders and other city vehicles in an attempt to prevent more trucks from getting near Parliament.

He said that during the early days of the demonstration, he had no idea who King was, and he believed the leaders of the Freedom Convoy movement were Tamara Lich and Chris Barber.

The defence is expected to call further witnesses throughout the week, with closing arguments expected by next Tuesday.

Lich and Barber were also arrested and charged for their role in the protest. Their criminal trial, which is taking place separately from King's, is set to continue next month.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2024.