Throughout cross-examination, a lawyer for Marco Van Huigenbos questioned whether or not his consumer actually was a frontrunner or if he was merely a conduit delivering messages to these in cost.
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Printed Apr 11, 2024 • Final up to date 1 hour in the past • 3 minute learn
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A lawyer for one in all three males on trial for his or her roles within the border blockade at Coutts, Alta., argued Thursday his consumer was nothing greater than a messenger.
Crown prosecutors have informed jurors they intend to show the trio spearheaded the protest that tied up visitors between on the Canada-United States border crossing for 2 weeks in early 2022 in protest of COVID-19 pandemic guidelines and restrictions.
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Alex Van Herk, Marco Van Huigenbos and Gerhard Janzen have every pleaded not responsible to a cost of mischief over $5,000.
RCMP Sgt. Greg Tulloch has testified he labored to determine a dialogue with the protesters and recognized Van Huigenbos as the principle contact.
Throughout his cross-examination, a lawyer for Van Huigenbos questioned whether or not his consumer actually was a frontrunner or if, just like the officer, he was merely a conduit delivering messages to these in cost.
“Have you ever ever heard the phrase, ‘Don’t shoot the messenger?’ I’m going to recommend that’s actually what Marco was right here. He was a messenger, a communicator, a spokesperson for the group — not a frontrunner,” Ryan Durran informed the jury trial.
Tulloch replied: “That’s far too simplified from the impression I used to be left with. As a result of when issues had been occurring, they occurred instantly after Marco mentioned he would do one thing or transmit a message.”
Durran mentioned Van Huigenbos was not thought-about an “agitator” and didn’t have a semi-trailer truck parked on the protest.
He mentioned his consumer and others needed the protest to depart Coutts and transfer as much as Edmonton. The try failed.
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Tulloch maintained that he thought-about Van Huigenbos to be on the prime of the internal circle of the protest, adopted by Janzen and, to a lesser diploma, Van Herk.
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The officer mentioned Van Huigenbos gave the impression to be a frontrunner, citing the accused’s “potential to make issues occur in the way in which that he did, the way in which he spoke about it and the way in which he informed us what his position was … that, to me, doesn’t signify messenger,” Tulloch mentioned.
“We continued to speak to him as a result of he might make selections, as a result of he appeared to need to additionally cope with us.”
Below additional cross examination by the Crown, Tulloch mentioned his job was to proceed to speak with the protesters, and discovering a frontrunner is one of the simplest ways to go.
“The continual assembly and talking with different individuals was actually simply a possibility to indicate us as being approachable and never the Gestapo we had been being made out to be,” mentioned the officer, referring to police in Nazi Germany.
He mentioned Van Huigenbos grew into the position of chief.
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“I’m unsure that at first that he orchestrated something or that he brought on all of this to start out up,” Tulloch mentioned. “However actually, he assumed the position of chief when there was no one else to take action.”
Tone at Coutts blockade modified throughout second week, RCMP officer testifies
The ultimate prosecution witness, RCMP Supt. Gordon Corbett, described arriving at Coutts on Jan. 31. Excluding at some point, he was there till the protest ended.
Corbett mentioned the preliminary plan was to tow the protest autos, however police weren’t in a position to get hold of sufficient vans to make that occur.
He mentioned the tone started to alter the second week.
“The general public security danger had elevated. There was new info that there was a risk to public security, a risk to police, simply based mostly on the presence of firearms on the web site,” Corbett mentioned.
He mentioned the weapons had nothing to do with the three accused. However the reality that there have been weapons on the blockade delayed plans to start enforcement in opposition to these on the protests, together with tickets or arrests.
Corbett turned emotional when discussing two totally different occasions.
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In a single occasion, the driving force of huge tractor with an connected blade superior towards a police officer at a checkpoint. The tractor driver demanded the officer depart.
A second occasion occurred on Feb. 13, when a big farm tractor and a semi truck, each concerned within the blockade, tried to ram a police automobile.
“It was an escalation in my thoughts. It was totally different. There’s no motive to do it and now you’re driving massive autos at cops that will or could not have any thought of what the automobile might do to a smaller automobile,” Corbett mentioned.
“It was simply extra exercise that was suggesting to me this protest wanted to resolve.”
The protesters left two days later after RCMP seized a cache of weapons and made a collection of arrests.
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