One of the judges who presided over the court hearings of the Freedom Convoy organizers has ruled after receiving threats deemed serious enough to require police intervention, according to information obtained by Radio-Canada and CBC.
The judge in question confirmed that supporters of the convoy from Canada and the United States sent several offensive messages, but the message that made the police react threatened their physical security, the judge said.
It’s intimidation. It is about influencing a court decision, and this is serious.- Judge who is not identified by security issues
CBC has agreed to retain the judge’s identity to protect his safety.
“I thought, should I tell my kids not to come home for a while?” said the judge.
“I changed my alarm system. I was advised not to go the same way every day,” the judge added. “You feel vulnerable in your home, in your home.”
Police enforce court order against protesters on Parliament Hill on February 19, 2022. (Evan Mitsui / CBC)
The judge believes most Canadians respect the justice system, but said a vocal minority is trying to undermine it.
“It’s intimidating. It’s trying to influence a court decision, and that’s serious,” the judge said.
The President of the Supreme Court of Canada, Richard Wagner, expressed similar concerns in a recent speech in Montreal.
“The pandemic has forced many people to live online during confinements. And it is at times like these that lies and conspiracies spread like wildfire,” Wagner said in French on June 9.
“As we have seen around the world, misinformation poses a real threat to democratic institutions.”
The demonstrations that took place in Ottawa this winter resulted in part from this misinformation, Wagner said. He encouraged people to “inform, instruct and educate” their fellow citizens.
The President of the Supreme Court of Canada, Richard Wagner, represented here at a press conference in 2021, warned in a recent speech that “misinformation poses a real threat to democratic institutions.” (Justin Tang / Canadian Press)
The ministry is silent on new threats
The Ontario Attorney General’s Office does not say whether any other judge has received threats from Freedom Convoy supporters.
“It would be inappropriate for the ministry to comment on a potential or ongoing police investigation,” ministry spokesman Brian Gray wrote in an email to Radio-Canada.
He wrote that the ministry “takes the safety of the courts and the safety of everyone in our courts … very seriously,” and that the local police or the Ontario provincial police offer security “to ensure the highest standard.” protection “.
The Ontario Court of Justice and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice declined to comment, saying it would be inappropriate to do so.
CBC News contacted a number of key figures from the rally in Ottawa a few weeks ago, but requests for comment were rejected or went unanswered.
No charges have been filed in this case. It is not known if the investigation is ongoing at this time, nor will Ottawa police comment.