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NOTE: This article may include commentary reflecting the author’s position.
Canada’s apparent descent into an authoritarian hellhole under Justin Trudeau can be aptly described with a quote from Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” — “Gradually, then suddenly.”
David Menzies, a journalist for Rebel News, was arrested under false pretence for just doing his job — trying to ask a politician a question.
Menzies was in Richmond Hill (part of the Greater Toronto Area), outside of a vigil for victims of terrorism when he spotted Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Feeland about to enter. He approached her and tried to ask about why the Trudeau government is still dragging its feet on designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization. The question was particularly relevant because the memorial Freeland was attending was for the victims of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, which was shot down by the IRGC on January 8, 2020. Of the 176 victims, 55 were Canadian citizens and 30 were permanent residents.
But before Menzies could get a reply, one of Freeland’s bodyguards, an RCMP officer, steps into Menzies’ path, appears to shove him with his shoulder, and then arrested Menzies for assaulting him.
Rebel News posted the video of the interaction on X.
BREAKING: Rebel News reporter David Menzies (@TheMenzoid) was brutally arrested by police after he tried to ask Chrystia Freeland questions.
Visit Rebel News for more on this story: https://t.co/J42ReU1MjY pic.twitter.com/5vgNotnjyy
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) January 8, 2024
Watch the slowed down video here:
This is so staged. You can see the woman with Freeland move out of the way so the cop can set the pick. Then watch the cops shoulders (especially the distance between his left shoulder and the pole) – you can see him lean into Menzies, while Menzies tries to avoid him. Here is… pic.twitter.com/ZlpVBQt1xc
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) January 9, 2024
Andrew Lawton of True North Media gives a play-by-play of the video.
At 0:09, you can see a police officer standing where he knows David Menzies is walking. You can see Menzies pivot away from the pole and officer, who then puts out an arm to stop him. Same officer arrests Menzies for assaulting a police officer. This is an egregious overreach. https://t.co/IpgU5IY2a6
— Andrew Lawton (@AndrewLawton) January 8, 2024
Later, Lawton posted an update that Menzies had been released without charges.
Have confirmed that Menzies was released without charges.
— Andrew Lawton (@AndrewLawton) January 9, 2024
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre who went viral for giving a Masterclass on how to handle a dishonest journalist while munching on an apple weighed in on the incident.
This is the state of freedom of the press.
In Canada. In 2024.
After 8 years of Trudeau. pic.twitter.com/7EpRW0fulX
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) January 9, 2024
He’s not wrong.
Besides, this isn’t the first time that David Menzies has been roughed up by cops for doing his job.
Back in December 2021, Menzies was waiting on the sidewalk for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to arrive at an event, when Blackface Hitler’s masked Gestapo Goon Squad shoved him against a wall and detained him for daring to try to do his job as a reporter.
(Rebel News suspects that the same RCMP officer may have been involved in both altercations.)
It really shouldn’t have been a surprise when, just a couple of months later, the Trudeau government would crack down on peaceful truckers protesting new COVID mandates by freezing bank accounts, arresting, and invoking what is essentially martial law, rather than meeting with the leaders of the protest to discuss what their grievances were.
An old tweet from Blackface Hitler denouncing attacks on journalists has resurfaced in the wake of the second Menzies incident.
It is never acceptable for a journalist to be attacked for doing their job, and it is never acceptable for anyone, anywhere, to have their freedom of expression denied. Watch live as I speak at the Global Conference for Media Freedom: https://t.co/bkJ1tM5ihg
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 16, 2020
Well, that aged like milk.
But then, Trudeau doesn’t see Rebel News as a legitimate journalistic outlet, even though Canadian courts have ruled that right-leaning independent news organizations like Rebel News and True North should be granted accreditation to cover politics.
Trudeau clearly despises Rebel News.
Justin Trudeau has never hid his distain for the independent media particularly Rebel News. After the video that went viral yesterday it’s become abundantly clear now worldwide. pic.twitter.com/fjC20ruht3
— Glenda M 🇨🇦 🍎 (@McfarlaneGlenda) January 9, 2024
It’s probably because he doesn’t have them grovelling at his feet for handouts the way that large swaths of the media in Canada do.
But it appears that the feeling is mutual.
On Tuesday morning, Rebel’s founder Ezra Levant posted that the news organization is filing lawsuits.
We met with our lawyer.
We will sue @cafreeland @rcmpgrcpolice & @YRP for
* false arrest
* false imprisonment
* malicious prosecution
* assaultFreeland will spend a million tax dollars fighting us. So we could sure use your help.
Please help us at https://t.co/BHTruvih5t. https://t.co/atr8W1JjHT
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) January 9, 2024
As others have pointed out on X, this incident with a reporter comes hot on the heels of Toronto Police delivering coffee to pro-Palestinian protesters who were blocking access to a Jewish community.
Toronto police provide hot coffee to pro-Palestinian protesters blocking the Armour Heights Jewish community
— Clown World ™ 🤡 (@ClownWorld_) January 6, 2024
This is Trudeau’s Canada.
