Barber is currently in police custody and is expected to face criminal charges as the now-global protest against vaccine mandates and other restrictions enters its third week, according to the CBC.
Barber is also one of three protest organizers named in the class action lawsuit filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice by lawyer Paul Champ on behalf of his client, 21-year-old public servant Zexi Li.
The suit names Barber along with fellow convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Benjamin Dichter.
Earlier this month, Barber responded to criticism the protest was negatively affecting Ottawa residents by saying organizers had "empathy" for local residents.
"We understand your frustration and genuinely wish there was another way for us to get our message across, but the responsibility for your inconvenience lies squarely on the shoulders of politicians who have [preferred] to vilify and call us names rather than engage in respectful, serious dialogue," he said at the time. -CBC
Meanwhile, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association has announced its intention to sue the federal government for invoking the Emergencies Act in response to the ongoing protests and blockades, the CBC reports.
"Emergency powers cannot and must not be normalized," said CCLA executive director Noa Mendelsohn, who added that the use of the act "seriously infringes on the Charter rights of Canadians."
The Emergencies Act was invoked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday in response to ongoing demonstrations against COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates.
The convoy protest in Ottawa has gridlocked the downtown core for more than 20 days, while other demonstrations have blocked international border crossings in Windsor, Ont. and Coutts, Alta. -CBC
Mendelsohn said that reports of "violent, racist and homophobic acts" don't rise to the level of introducing measures which the CCLA considers a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
"Protest is how people in a democracy share their political messages of all kinds, whether they be environmental activists, students taking to the streets, Indigenous land defenders, workers on strike, people who know that Black lives matter, and others who oppose government measures of all kinds," Mendelsohn said.
"Not every person may agree with the content of every movement."
Freeland said that the RCMP and other law enforcement agencies have been gathering intelligence on convoy protesters and their supporters, and have been sharing that information with financial institutions in order to restrict access to both cash and crypto.
"The names of both individuals and entities as well as crypto wallets have been shared by the RCMP with financial institutions and accounts have been frozen and more accounts will be frozen," she said, referring to crypto exchange accounts.
Trudeau needs to go if he ignores the voices of reason for freedoms restored, justice to prevail, and sending messaging he is above the laws for humanity, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteHopefully those arrested are released with lawyers on their behalf so this situation can reach resolutions on behalf of the masses wanting those whom are to serve them to do so fairly, IMO!
Emergency at hand is the need for the government to accept their limitations, IMO! Trudeau should obey the people's laws of the land, and stop his madness for unlawful power grabs using other's to do dirty deeds on behalf of Trudeau's Tyrannical delusions to create crisis after crisis, IMO!
Wanting harmony, joy, peace, and justice for all, should be an order to fulfill from Leader's for a free world, IMO! Life is not hard, it's created chaos is by a few that seek oppression needlessly as we are witnessing; Prayers for an end to those that reign as Kings insanely undeserving of them, IMO! Soon perhaps this type of mental illness among many power-player's will soon be overcome by all the voices of reason? One way or another the masses will prevail, in my opinion.