The trials into the Coutts Border Blockade has taken a drastic turn for Coutts Trio member Marco Van Huigenbos. Van Huigenbos said he has been banned from attending court proceedings into the Coutts Four case. “They can ban me from the courtroom, but they will have to lock me away to shut me up," tweeted Van Huigenbos on Wednesday. The Coutts Four consists of Anthony Olienick, Chris Carbert, Christopher Lysak, and Jerry Morin. They were charged with conspiracy to commit murder of RCMP officers.The Coutts Trio pertains to Van Huigenbos, George Janzen and Alex Van Herk. They have been charged with mischief over $5,000.Van Huigenbos said his ban happened because of tweets he made about activities going on during pre-trial hearings, particularly around Ontario Tech University (OTU) Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism Director Barbara Perry being considered as an expert witness. “I felt this had to become public and made a conscious decision — not 100% sure I was breaking the ban — but knowing that there could be consequences,” he said. “But you got to understand publication bans are automatic for pre-trial applications.” The Coutts Four proceedings have dragged on for more than two years. Due to the length of the pre-trial, he said it has been convenient for the Crown to bring motions that will never see the light of day.Lysak and Morin accepted a plea deal in their conspiracy to commit murder case on February 6. READ MORE: UPDATED: Two Coutts Four members agree to plea dealTrial attendees said the conspiracy to commit murder charges brought against Lysak and Morin were dropped and that they would be set free. On the other hand, Olienick had a new lawyer, which delayed his trial until February 20. Van Huigenbos said on Friday Crown attorneys have requested Perry testify in the Coutts trials. READ MORE: Alberta Justice recruits ‘right wing extremism’ expert for Coutts cases“Today, under oath, she testified that she believes most right-wing extremists are WHITE, CHRISTIAN, and MALES!” he said. .Perry has studied right-wing extremism. Alberta Justice said it wanted to make Perry an expert witness for the Coutts Four and maybe for the Coutts Trio.
