Pat King, one of the most prominent figures of the 2022 “Freedom Convoy” in Ottawa, has been found guilty on five counts including mischief and disobeying a court order.
A judge in an Ottawa courtroom Friday said the Crown proved beyond a reasonable doubt that King was guilty on one count each of mischief, counselling others to commit mischief and counselling others to obstruct police. He was also found guilty of two counts of disobeying a court order.
The Alberta resident was found not guilty on three counts of intimidation and one count of obstructing police himself.
King could be facing up to 10 years in prison.
In January 2022 the convoy attracted thousands of demonstrators to Parliament Hill in protest against public-health restrictions, COVID-19 vaccine mandates and the federal government. The event gridlocked downtown streets around Parliament Hill, with area residents complaining about the fumes from diesel engines running non-stop, and unrelenting noise from constant honking of horns and music parties.
The federal Liberal government ultimately invoked the Emergencies Act to try and bring an end to the protests, which had expanded to also block several border crossings into the United States. Ottawa Police brought in hundreds of officers from police forces across Canada to force the protest to an end.
King’s defence argued that King was peacefully protesting during the three-week demonstration and was not a leader of it.
But the Crown alleged he was a protest leader who was instrumental to the disruption it caused the city and people who lived and worked nearby. The Crown alleged King co-ordinated the honking, ordering them to lay on the horn every 30 minutes for 10 minutes at a time and told people to “hold the line” when he was aware policy and the city had asked the protesters to leave.
The Crown’s case relied mainly on King’s own videos, which he posted to social media throughout the protest to document the demonstration and communicate with protesters.
His trial was heard over several weeks between May and July.
This story by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2024.
