All charges have been dropped against Cullen McDonald, who faced three criminal charges for peacefully protesting COVID-19 mandates in Ontario — setting a precedent for many other Canadians who face similar charges. McDonald in 2022 was charged with two counts of common nuisance for peacefully protesting in Niagara, ON and one count of the same crime in nearby St. Catharines. The Niagara judge acquitted him, but the St. Catharines judge upheld the original ruling. “In all of my years of practicing law, I have never seen a case that has the potential to cause more damage to rights and freedoms in Canada, than the case of His Majesty the King vs McDonald,” said criminal lawyer Saaron Gebresellassi, per Police on Guard For Thee. .Justice Richard Blouin, the judge who acquitted McDonald for the Niagara charges, said he didn’t want to set a “dangerous precedent” for persecuting him for protesting against the infringement on his civil liberties.“Elevating a violation of provincial health orders to a criminal offense would set a dangerous precedent, as it would allow every infraction of public health measures to be treated as a criminal offense rather than just a provincial violation,” said Blouin. .However, Justice Joseph De Filippis in St. Catharines ruled McDonald is guilty — leaving him with a criminal record and $4000 fine.Cullen appealed his guilty verdict. Crown Prosecutor Michael Lucifora simultaneously appealed the Niagara acquittals and said the fine wasn’t enough, and pursued one year of jail time.Yet, this week, the appeal court dismissed both the Crown’s appeals and overturned the original guilty verdict, completely exonerating McDonald.
