From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

Lawyers argued that Pastor Artur Pawlowski’s sermon was intended to encourage protesters to find a peaceful solution to the blockade, but the statement was characterized as a call for mischief.

An Alberta Court of Appeal ruled that Calgary Pastor Artur Pawlowski is guilty of mischief for his sermon at the Freedom Convoy-related border protest blockade in February 2022 in Coutts, Alberta.

On October 29, Alberta Court of Appeal Justice Gordon Krinke sentenced the pro-freedom pastor to 60 days in jail for “counselling mischief” by encouraging protesters to continue blocking Highway 4 to protest COVID mandates.

“A reasonable person would understand the appellant’s speech to be an active inducement of the illegal activity that was ongoing and that the appellant intended for his speech to be so understood,” the decision reads.

Pawlowski addressed a group of truckers and protesters blocking entrance into the U.S. state of Montana on February 3, the fifth day of the Freedom Convoy-styled protest. He encouraged the protesters to “hold the line” after they had reportedly made a deal with Royal Canadian Mounted Police to leave the border crossing and travel to Edmonton.

“The eyes of the world are fixed right here on you guys. You are the heroes,” Pawlowski said. “Don’t you dare go breaking the line.”

After Pawlowski’s sermon, the protesters remained at the border crossing for two additional weeks. While his lawyers argued that his speech was made to encourage protesters to find a peaceful solution to the blockade, the statement is being characterized as a call for mischief.

Days later, on February 8, Pawlowski was arrested – for the fifth time – by an undercover SWAT team just before he was slated to speak again to the Coutts protesters.

He was subsequently jailed for nearly three months for what he said was for speaking out against COVID mandates, the subject of all the Freedom Convoy-related protests.

In Krinke’s decision, he argued that Pawlowski’s sermon incited the continuation of the protest, saying, “The Charter does not provide justification to anybody who incites a third party to commit such crimes.”

However, defence lawyer Sarah Miller pointed out that that Pawlowski’s sermon was protected under freedom of speech, an argument that Krinke quickly dismissed.

“While the appellant is correct that peaceful, lawful and nonviolent communication is entitled to protection, blockading a highway is an inherently aggressive and potentially violent form of conduct, designed to intimidate and impede the movement of third parties,” he wrote.

Pawlowski was released after the verdict. He has already spent 78 days in jail before the trial.

Pawlowski is the first Albertan to be charged for violating the province’s Critical Infrastructure Defence Act (CIDA), which was put in place in 2020 under then-Premier Jason Kenney.

The CIDA, however, was not put in place due to COVID mandates but rather after anti-pipeline protesters blockaded key infrastructure points such as railway lines in Alberta a few years ago.

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

The Government attempted to bring charges against individuals and companies who allegedly had equipment parked on and near the highway during the Coutts Freedom Convoy protest.

Some 50 truckers who protested COVID mandates by participating in the 2022 Freedom Convoy-inspired blockade protests at the Canadian-U.S. border with have seen their tickets dropped, the freedom-orientated legal group representing them has said.  

In a press release, The Democracy Fund (TDF) announced that in partnership with Williamson Law (WL) it was able to successfully “defend against tickets” issued under Canada’s Use of Highway and Rules of the Road Regulation and other regulatory statutes, for some 50 or so truckers who protested at the Coutts, Alberta border with the U.S. State of Montana in 2022. 

“WL lawyers requested disclosure and held multiple discussions with the Crown, resulting in the withdrawal of tickets for all but 11 cases,” noted TDF. 

As for the remaining 11 cases, the Crown was “determined to proceed” with them, so TDF with WL’s help “sought subpoenas for the Alberta Premier’s Office, Alberta Sheriffs, Edmonton Police Service, Criminal Intelligence Service Alberta (CISA), and Provincial Security and Intelligence Office (PSIO) to give evidence in respect of disclosure issues.” 

TDF observed that because of seeking the subpoenas, along with additional “discussions” with the defense counsel, it was able to “resolve” the 11 remaining tickets for only “$1 each.” 

“As a result, no client was convicted at trial and all matters were successfully resolved,” noted TDF. 

Lawyer Chad Williamson of WL reacted to the results saying it “represents an outstanding victory for civil liberty clients of The Democracy Fund.” 

“The Government attempted to bring charges against individuals and companies who allegedly had equipment parked on and near the highway during the Coutts Freedom Convoy protest. In the face of a robust and steadfast defence, we were successful in having close to 50 charges withdrawn immediately,” he said. 

Williamson added that when the Crown sought to “prosecute the remaining 11 truckers, we sought subpoenas for parties we believed had relevant knowledge of the underlying events.” 

“At that point, the Crown agreed that the remaining charges should be resolved for $1 each,” he noted. 

“These cases show that a strong and vigorous defence is the best protection against charges levied by the Government against peaceful protestors.” 

While many Canadians who fought COVID fines, charges, and rules were successful in getting them overturned, others have not been successful.    

As reported by LifeSiteNews, a Trudeau-appointed judge recently sentenced two men involved in the same 2022 Freedom Convoy-inspired border blockade protest in Coutts, Alberta, to six years in prison.

Also, Canada’s Supreme Court recently decided it will not hear appeals to two high-profile cases brought forth by People’s Party of Canada (PPC) leader Maxime Bernier and former Premier of Newfoundland Brian Peckford. The pair had alleged their “Charter rights” were violated because of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government’s COVID jab travel mandates, which banned the vaccine-free from flying.    

COVID vaccine mandates, which also came from provincial governments with the support of the federal government, split Canadian society. The mRNA shots have been linked to a multitude of negative and often severe side effects in children.