Rolling Thunder protestor Courtney John Dugas has been cleared of all charges stemming from his arrest at it in 2022. .“This is one of many acquittals in cases where Canadians were criminally charged for doing nothing other than peacefully exercising their Charter freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly,” said Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) President John Carpay in a Friday press release. .Ontario Court of Justice Justice David Berg acquitted Dugas on Tuesday of charges of disarming a police officer and assaulting a peace officer. .Dugas attended Rolling Thunder in Ottawa, which was organized to support Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) veteran James Topp and other soldiers facing expulsion over their decision to not take COVID-19 vaccines..Topp, who had been a CAF soldier for 28 years, gained national headlines for his 4,293 kilometre walk across Canada to protest against COVID-19 restrictions. .Rolling Thunder arrived in Ottawa in 2022 to huge fanfare, was celebrated in the streets the next day, and ended with people going to church. .READ MORE: KRAYDEN: Rolling Thunder a great moment for Canada but not for Ottawa’s failed mayor.It was like a second Freedom Convoy, except it was smaller. The motorcyclists and their supporters came to Ottawa to support Canadian military veterans, and many of them served. .The security presence was massive, with police, military and paramilitary units around to keep the peace. .In addition to joining Rolling Thunder, Dugas was scheduled to perform as a musician at it the following day. .Police officers testified in court that as they formed a line on Rideau Street on the first day of it, he allegedly grabbed an officer’s baton and allegedly threw a punch. However, it said the officers’ accounts differed with respect to the timing of the alleged assault and the arrest. .He denied the allegation. His testimony was corroborated in court by a friend who was with him that day. .During the trial, the JCCF said it played video taken from Rebel News livestreams that showed the moments leading up and including his arrest, which corroborated his account of the events..Berg ruled the video evidence and the discrepancies in the testimonies of the police officers combined to create sufficient reasonable doubt for the charges to be dropped. .Dugas thanked God “for watching over me through these difficult times.”.“I also want to thank everyone who has supported me and prayed for me through this time.” .JCCF-funded lawyer Hatim Kheir said he was “pleased to see that justice prevailed and that Mr. Dugas was acquitted.” .“This result confirms again the importance of independent journalists who are on the ground recording events,” said Kheir. .“In this case, the video evidence showed that Mr. Dugas was innocent.”
Rolling Thunder protestor Courtney John Dugas has been cleared of all charges stemming from his arrest at it in 2022. .“This is one of many acquittals in cases where Canadians were criminally charged for doing nothing other than peacefully exercising their Charter freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly,” said Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) President John Carpay in a Friday press release. .Ontario Court of Justice Justice David Berg acquitted Dugas on Tuesday of charges of disarming a police officer and assaulting a peace officer. .Dugas attended Rolling Thunder in Ottawa, which was organized to support Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) veteran James Topp and other soldiers facing expulsion over their decision to not take COVID-19 vaccines..Topp, who had been a CAF soldier for 28 years, gained national headlines for his 4,293 kilometre walk across Canada to protest against COVID-19 restrictions. .Rolling Thunder arrived in Ottawa in 2022 to huge fanfare, was celebrated in the streets the next day, and ended with people going to church. .READ MORE: KRAYDEN: Rolling Thunder a great moment for Canada but not for Ottawa’s failed mayor.It was like a second Freedom Convoy, except it was smaller. The motorcyclists and their supporters came to Ottawa to support Canadian military veterans, and many of them served. .The security presence was massive, with police, military and paramilitary units around to keep the peace. .In addition to joining Rolling Thunder, Dugas was scheduled to perform as a musician at it the following day. .Police officers testified in court that as they formed a line on Rideau Street on the first day of it, he allegedly grabbed an officer’s baton and allegedly threw a punch. However, it said the officers’ accounts differed with respect to the timing of the alleged assault and the arrest. .He denied the allegation. His testimony was corroborated in court by a friend who was with him that day. .During the trial, the JCCF said it played video taken from Rebel News livestreams that showed the moments leading up and including his arrest, which corroborated his account of the events..Berg ruled the video evidence and the discrepancies in the testimonies of the police officers combined to create sufficient reasonable doubt for the charges to be dropped. .Dugas thanked God “for watching over me through these difficult times.”.“I also want to thank everyone who has supported me and prayed for me through this time.” .JCCF-funded lawyer Hatim Kheir said he was “pleased to see that justice prevailed and that Mr. Dugas was acquitted.” .“This result confirms again the importance of independent journalists who are on the ground recording events,” said Kheir. .“In this case, the video evidence showed that Mr. Dugas was innocent.”
