An RCMP officer who grabbed and arrested Rebel News reporter David Menzies while questioning Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has been placed under review after video of the incident sparked outrage. “RCMP protective policing resources were involved in an incident while deployed on a protective operation,” said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Kim Chamberland in a Tuesday statement to the National Post. “The RCMP is looking into the incident and the actions of all parties involved.”Menzies was arrested by police officers on Monday after he attempted to ask Freeland about the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). READ MORE: WATCH: Rebel News' reporter David Menzies arrested after trying to question FreelandWhile Menzies wanted to know why the Canadian government was not standing up to the IRGC, an RCMP officer bumped into him to block him from confronting Freeland. The officer proceeded to grab Menzies and push him up against a wall. “You’re under arrest for assault,” he said. .Chamberland said the RCMP has no further comment at this time. When asked by the National Post to clarify about if the review applies to Menzies and the officer, she said it refers to all parties involved. York Regional Police (YRP) media relations officer Const. Lisa Moskaluk confirmed his arrest was made by the RCMP. “York Regional Police officers assisted as the interaction took place in our region,” said Moskaluk. “It was determined that no credible security threat existed and the subject was released unconditionally shortly thereafter.”The incident sparked instant alarm and outrage online, particularly from conservative journalists and organizations. Rebel News has cast it as an attack on freedom of expression by the Canadian government. After the incident happened, Rebel News shared it with the headline “SHOCK FOOTAGE: Chrystia Freeland’s bodyguards assault and arrest David Menzies when he asks her a question.”While the RCMP might have found the arrest justified, it said it was aggressive. Rebel News publisher Ezra Levant said he was outraged by the arrest and asked for financial help. “The only way to get justice is in court,” said Levant. “We’ve got the evidence of the false arrest — and of the police assaulting David.”If it does not stand up for Menzies, Levant predicted these incidents will keep happening. He added they “need to sue Freeland’s out-of-control RCMP bodyguards.”“They claim they’re police, but they’re acting more like a police state,” he said. Rebel News directed people to a Stand with David website that was registered in 2021, which brought them to the homepage and asked for donation requests. The Conservatives said on Tuesday it is unacceptable the Liberals let police officers arrest Menzies. READ MORE: Conservatives blast Liberals for allowing David Menzies arrest“After 8 years of Justin Trudeau, citizens and journalists who disagree with him are being censored and arrested,” said the Conservatives. “A Canadian journalist who attempted to ask questions of the Deputy Prime Minister was abruptly and forcefully arrested on trumped-up charges.”Levant admitted Menzies being released by police offsite without charge does not end Rebel News’ interest in this matter. He questioned why they handcuffed him and smashed his face into a wall. “We have retained legal counsel and expect to sue the RCMP, YRP and Freeland as soon as this week for false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and assault,” he said. Menzies is a reporter who is best known for his verbal and visual confrontations, which some times veer into outlandish tactics. Other journalists have accused him of being a provocateur. He dressed in a costume imitating the Oakville, ON, fake boobs teacher to attend a school board meeting where parents were complaining to trustees about their response to her, with cameras rolling from multiple angles. In 2021, he was arrested after a confrontation with Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman. Lantsman said she felt unsafe after his questions “became homophobic and related to my sexual orientation.” A few months later, he was grabbed and restrained on a sidewalk in Toronto by RCMP officers, who slammed him into a wall as Trudeau arrived at an event before being released without charges. Menzies and Rebel News are part of a growing group of activist journalists on the left and right who chase stories to boost their positions and push certain causes. In this case, he pushed right-wing causes by referring to Trudeau as Blackface. He called him Blackface three times.
