Tyson Billings, an organizer in the Freedom Convoy protest of early 2022, plead guilty to a single count of counselling others to commit mischief on Wednesday morning..Billings, wearing a T-Shirt that said "Fear God, not COVID," received cheers and chants of "Let's go," from a crowd of dozens as he walked out of the Ottawa courthouse Wednesday morning..“I went to jail for the kids and would do it again if I had to,” Billings told supporters outside the courthouse. "It feels good to be free.".When asked what he did wrong and if he regretted his actions, Billings said, "I caused mischief blowing horns for the seven minutes of the Jericho March. That's all I did."."No, I don't regret it. I'm a freedom fighter.".Billings, who earned the nickname "Freedom George" during the Freedom Convoy, was arrested on February 18 when law enforcement cracked down on the protest..According to Assistant Crown Attorney Moiz Karimjee, Billings posted several videos to social media where he encouraged protestors to "hold the line.".Karimjee said Billings acted “belligerent” towards police and the video footage showed him disobeying police checkpoints as the protest intensified..He was initially charged as a co-accused with convoy organizer Pat King, who remains in jail at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre (OCDC)..Following a transfer from OCDC, Billings served a total of 116 days in jail, spending most of it at the Quinte Detention Centre. He received credit for 174 days in jail, since each day detained in pretrial custody counts as 1.5 days toward the completion of a sentence..Superior Court Justice Robert Maranger said he accepted Billings' plea “without reservation” and that the sentencing was “reasonable and fair.”.The judge gave Billings credit for becoming the first person charged during the Freedom Convoy to accept responsibility for his role in the demonstration..Billings had also faced charges of mischief and intimidation, but those charges were withdrawn as part of Wednesday’s plea deal..Maranger said sentencing isn't about "retribution," but is about understanding crimes have to be "dealt with in an appropriate manner.".“You believe in something, it starts off a peaceful protest and it gets out of control, it gets out of hand and it becomes criminal behaviour,” Maranger said.
