David Menzies slams mainstream media’s February 2nd, 2023, anniversary coverage of the Freedom Convoy as a "propaganda mill" for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, citing CBC’s interview with Debbie Owusu Akia (who pressured Canadian Tire to cancel Jordan Peterson) and Global News’ fearmongering over horns. The trial of Arthur Pavlovsky—charged for a 19-minute sermon urging peaceful resistance—exposes legal overreach, with $1M in legal fees funded by the Democracy Defense Fund and Rebel News. His conviction risks criminalizing dissent, while media ignores protesters’ trauma like Alexa Lavois’ shooting or police brutality. Pavlovsky’s packed courtroom, including supporters like his son Nathaniel (a 22-year-old law school applicant), signals a broader fight for free speech in Canada. [Automatically generated summary]
Tonight, did you catch the mainstream media's coverage of the one-year anniversary of the Ottawa Freedom Convoy?
Predictably, it was appalling.
It's Thursday, February 2nd, 2023.
I'm David Menzies, and this is the Ezra Levant Show.
For those seeking to feast their eyes and ears upon an orgy of misinformation, disinformation, and outright lies, one need look no further than how the mainstream media covered the one-year anniversary of the Freedom Convoy.
or as this event is labeled in MSM land, the so-called Freedom Convoy.
Yeah, so-called.
The irony is perverse, isn't it?
Journalists have skin in the game when it comes to that concept called freedom, after all.
You know, that little nugget known as freedom of the press.
Then again, their dismissal of freedom fighters and their bias in news reporting when it comes to the Freedom Convoy shouldn't really come as any surprise.
The MSM journalists receive much of their paycheck content from Justin Trudeau these days.
And we know the media's sugar daddy loathed the 2022 Freedom Convoy.
Thus, the MSM shall loathe it too.
Thus, the Convoy's one-year anniversary is not something to remember fondly, nor was the brutal crackdown something to lament.
Instead, the narrative some 12 months later is, thank God those barbarians at the gate were dealt with so that sleepy Ottawa can get back to normal.
And so it was in the media coverage going back to last weekend that there was virtually no condemnation of the federal government outrageously invoking the Emergencies Act to brutally shut down a peaceful protest.
There was no condemnation of police horses trampling peaceful protesters.
Not even a single mention of my dear colleague Alexa Lavois being shot in the thigh with some sort of cylinder by a trigger-happy cop.
remember that obscene incident
you know that guy who shot alexa There are five vacancies at the Memphis Police Force right now.
Maybe you ought to apply for one of those positions.
And by the way, had the target of that projectile been CBC's Rosemary Barton, I think we'd still be in the midst of a royal commission right now, you know, regarding violence against journalists.
Regarding Violence Against Journalists00:07:56
Actually, what am I saying?
The idea of Rosemary Barton getting off her fat Ricotta cheese candy ass and actually doing some reporting in the field when the temperature is freezing and violence might take lease.
Well, that's not going to happen, but I digress.
Rather, the copious copy served up regarding the one-year anniversary of the Freedom Convoy is best summed up by Colonel Kurtz's most notable quote from Apocalypse Now.
Yeah, it was a real monster chiller horror theater show that took place in Ottawa for almost a month last year.
If you believe the mainstream media coverage then and now.
Indeed, did you know that certain Ottawa residents to this very day suffer from a form of PTSD and that they are triggered if they hear a horn honking or get a whiff of diesel fuel?
No, seriously.
To this day, certain sights and sounds cause certain Ottawa residents to curl into the fetal position.
Thank goodness so many government employees are still working from home.
I think they need to play it safe these days and not get out of bed for, oh, I don't know, another couple of years.
So in our autopsy of journalistic awfulness, let's start with the biggest media pig slurping from the taxpayer trough, aka that billion-dollar plus hog known as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
CBC went out of its way to note the psychological effects certain Ottawa residents experienced during the demonstration.
Take, for example, Debbie Owusu Akia says, Debbie, quote, we never want to go through this ever again, end quote.
Go through what exactly?
Debbie, by the way, is the executive director of the Canadian Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity.
So you know for sure this source is at the top of the CBC reporters Rolodex when it comes to important people to interview.
By the way, if her name does ring a bell, that might be because Debbie's group was one of 36 Ottawa organizations that pressured the Canadian Tire Center to cancel the Dr. Jordan Peterson event last Monday.
So while Debbie's Spirit Unicorn organization is all about sexual diversity, they do not champion a diversity of opinions, it would seem.
Indeed, my suggestion is for Debbie to reach out to Dr. Peterson for help.
If she is still psychologically traumatized by the sound of a horn honking, methinks Doc Peterson can help her and any other uber-sensitive Ottawa citizen still recovering from such audio torture.
By the way, folks, I was stationed in Ottawa for most of the Freedom Convoy last year.
I stayed at a downtown hotel right in the thick of things.
And you know what?
I slept like a baby despite the horn honking.
Then again, I was working hard in the field during the day.
I'm not some desk-bound paper pusher for an organization like the Canadian Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity.
As well, CTV News went out of its way to paint Prime Minister Blackface McGroper in a positive light one year later.
No surprise there.
CTV reporter Evan Soyboy Solomon worked for CTV during the Freedom Convoy.
Today now works for Justin Trudeau's best friend, Gerald Butts.
Man, they don't even bother hiding their conflicts of interest anymore, do they?
Anyway, CTV, being a well-trained media SEAL, reported the following, quote, speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he understands the anger and concerns protesters have.
Said, Trudeau, I understand that there are lots of Canadians who are hurting and they will continue to lash out and be frustrated.
They have, of course, every right to express themselves and protest, end quote.
Yeah, lots of Canadians are indeed hurting, thanks mostly to your policies, Mr. Prime Minister.
And no, they clearly do not have every right to express themselves and protest.
Did you forget that you invoked the Emergencies Act to clear the streets of the so-called fringe minority with unacceptable views?
Well, CTV sure as hell wasn't going to remind blackface, given that they know full well who's buttering their bread these days.
Oh, and this just in, did you catch that so-called academic study by Carolyn Orbeno of the University of Maryland, which was just released the other day?
The title speaks volumes, quote, Russia's role in the far-right truck convoy, an analysis of Russian state media activity related to the 2022 Freedom Convoy, end quote.
Apparently, her argument boils down to this.
Because Russia today covered the Freedom Convoy, the Russian government must have been involved.
And because Telegram channels that covered the convoy supported Russia regarding Ukraine, it must all be a Russian propaganda operation.
No, I'm not making this up.
The demonstrators were not salt of the earth Canadians who were having their lives ruined by the awful policies of the Trudeau liberals, but rather they were bad actors hired by Moscow.
You would think that surely by now the Russian collusion argument would be thoroughly debunked and discredited, but apparently not.
Much like Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th, every time you think the Russian collusion crackpot theory is dead and buried, it arises from the grave yet again.
Nevertheless, this crazy hypothesis sounds good to the Ottawa Press Gallery sluggos who were retreating this nonsense upon release.
Indeed, here's what Stephen Meher tweeted.
Oh, by the way, Meher describes himself as a Canadian journalist and a woke moralist.
Yikes.
Anyway, here's what he said in his tweet: quote, it is reasonable to infer that RT's extensive coverage of the convoy might be just the most visible sign of a broader influence campaign encompassing other actors and activities, including proxy sources, cyber operations, social media accounts, end quote.
Yep, your tax dollars hard at work yet again, folks.
Speaking of tax dollars, I know this might come as a shock, but it turns out that over the years, Caroline Or Bueno has received funding from the Justin Trudeau liberals too.
But who am I to suggest that, as they say in Vegas, the fix is in?
By the way, can you possibly guess which mainstream media sluggo was responsible for the absolute worst coverage of the one-year anniversary of the Freedom Convoy?
Parliament Hill Protest Plans00:08:02
Okay, folks, I apologize.
I didn't mean to insult your intelligence.
Yes, it was indeed Rachel Crymore, or I mean Rachel Gilmore of Global News, perhaps the most vapid and vacuous journalist to ever venture upon Parliament Hill in the history of Parliament Hill.
Now, if you're not familiar with Gilmore, here's the skinny.
She was essentially a nobody until she decided to latch onto a gimmick.
And the gimmick was this, embrace victimhood.
And so it was that she would incessantly take to social media and complain and whine about all the hideous violence she was enduring as a female reporter.
Now, I know what you're saying, folks.
Who would savagely punch the lovely Miss Gilmore simply for doing her job?
Would you believe slap her?
How about pinching her?
Well, no, no, and no.
To the best of my knowledge, absolutely nothing physical has ever happened to Gilmore while she was covering her beat.
You see, her definition of violence is mean tweets on social media.
I swear, mean tweets.
And for enduring such mean tweets, I think she wants us to lower the flags to have staff or don white ribbons in her presence or something like that.
But this woe is me crybaby act is kind of working for her.
No one really knew anything about Rachel Gilmore until she started playing the victim card.
So she sort of emerged as a real-life female Rupert Pupkin, not someone famous for an actual talent or achievement, but rather being infamous as a self-manufactured victim.
By the way, if you're uncertain about the Rupert Pupkin reference, I beg of you to view the 1983 prescient masterpiece, that is the king of comedy.
Alas, Rachel's bailiwick is more akin to the queen of tragedy.
Let's take her one-year anniversary of the Freedom Convoy story from the top.
Oh, by the way, if you have access to a recording of melancholy violin music, I strongly suggest you play that in the background to enhance the wannabe effect of Gilmore's putrid prose.
you know, something like this.
So without further ado, here goes.
Quote, Sarah Chown's car now rolls seamlessly through the busy downtown Ottawa intersection that just one year ago was made impassable by massive trucks and screaming protesters, end quote.
Geez, one sentence in and it's already time for a fact check.
No, the streets were not made impassable by trucks, but rather police security checks.
Even if you were a pedestrian, check out the encounter we endured when we went by a police checkpoint.
So you don't have any.
If you have a reservation on your phone for your hotel that is down here, then we can let you through.
But if you don't, then we can't let you.
I would have to get Alexa to send it to me because it's both under her name.
And it has to be in one of your names rented in free, right?
Is there any reason for this?
You know we're not demonstrators, ma'am.
We're members of the media.
I mean, if this was a CBC reporter...
If you wanted to come through for the media purpose, you can get that authorization through the Ottawa City Police.
Just give them a call and they give you authorization to get down.
Oh, okay.
So we're kind of like Australia now.
Our colleague Abby Yamini always has to get a permit to perform journalism down under.
I can't comment on that.
You just want to get to your hotel.
That's all.
100%.
You know, we can work around it somehow as far as if we see the reservation in your boss's name and then we talk to your boss and confirm that you are who you are and are staying there.
You know, like it'll be a long process, but we can do it.
Yeah, it's freezing out.
No, this is nothing compared to yesterday.
Well, that is true.
I agree with you there.
I think we'll just collect our thoughts, maybe.
Okay, hopefully, Lexency so that we can get the information on the story.
All right, then.
All right, thanks.
Thank you.
Back to Gilmore's nonsense.
Quote: But to this day, her drive to the Metropolitan Brasserie, a restaurant she co-owns just 200 meters from Parliament Hill, is marked by memories of the so-called Freedom Convoy.
Not a day goes by still that I don't drive through that intersection and remember what happened there, she told Global News in an interview.
The Metropolitan Brasserie is located on the corner of Redux and Sussex Streets.
That intersection was one of the main gathering points during the convoy protests, which snarled Ottawa streets for weeks on end one year ago.
Sound systems were set up in the middle of the intersection in front of Chown's business, blaring music as demonstrators danced and drank late into the night.
Shortly after the convoy's arrival, she closed down her restaurant, which had been open for takeout after months of the ups and downs with COVID-19 public health measures.
Eyeing the large glass windows in front of her business, she packed up any valuables, wine, and liquor that could be seen from the crowds outside.
End quote.
Yeah, that's right.
Sarah packed up all the valuables.
There be huns lurking outside after all.
I'm being facetious, of course, because had this restaurant remained open, Sarah would have racked up record sales.
You see, when you have thousands of protesters who are a stone's throw away from your eatery, guess what?
They get hungry, they get thirsty, they would have packed Sarah's restaurant.
You see, while I was reporting in Ottawa last year, I would estimate that at least 90% of downtown restaurants voluntarily closed their doors out of completely unjustified fears that the demonstrators would have been violent.
Yeah, they bought the bogus narrative hook line and stinker that was being passed around by the federal government and their lapdogs in the MSM.
Check out my report from a closed Tim Hortons restaurant near Parliament Hill, which sacrificed thousands of dollars worth of sales on a daily basis.
David Menzies for Rebel News here near Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Well, folks, it looks like at the one-week mark of the trucker protests, it could be that yet again more than 100,000 people are going to assemble here.
There are reports of another 200 to 300 more trucks coming in.
This city is jammed like I've never seen it.
And you know, I couldn't help but notice the missed opportunity.
As my camera memoritu and I walked down towards Parliament Hill, restaurant after restaurant was closed up.
But why?
There is so much business to be had.
Here we are at a Tim Hortons.
This place is usually packed during normal times.
It would be a lineup out the door if they decided to open up.
So why aren't they opening up?
So one restaurant after another closed.
There might be another 100,000 people on the street.
Here we are outside of Tim Hortons.
There's a little pub down there.
They're closed.
Why are they closed when there's so much business to be had?
Well, you know, there's a lot of fear being spread on the news.
There's a lot of information that they decide to share.
And the thing is, they've created so much fear that people think we can't be here.
If people came and actually saw the love and acceptance, there's no reason that these restaurants should be closed out of fear of what's happening.
Why They Stay Closed00:04:34
Yeah, well, it is true.
It's a great time to be open.
I mean, Ottawa is set up for big events, right?
I mean, Canada Day, all that kind of stuff.
They're used to that, right?
And this is a big event.
Why wouldn't you be open to get the business?
It just makes sense, but I don't know, you know, whatever's influencing them, it's not a good decision.
Absolutely.
Yes, it was beneficial for everybody for them to be open.
We could warm up and they can have a great business.
Now, back to Gilmore's Dreck.
Quote: Catherine McKenney spent much of their time walking the streets of their center town ward.
At the time, they were the city councilor representing Somerset Ward, which was one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in Ottawa.
What they remember most vividly are the looks in people's eyes, the fear in people's eyes, just as they went about their business, going home, coming back from running an errand or from work.
That will always stay in my mind, they said.
End quote.
I'm sorry, folks, but I'm so distracted by the pronouns Gilmore is using here.
They and they're.
Say, is McKenney one half of a Siamese twin, perhaps?
Actually, no, turns out she's one of those two-spirit thingies.
Thanks to Stephen LaDrew, we all know what that is.
Well, I think we do.
What's two-spirit?
Well, two-spirit sounds like there's someone they don't know whether they're, you know, fish or foul.
They don't know whether they're frick or frack.
So they're clearly confused.
Oh, poor Ledreux.
After that report aired, his employer, Bell Media, fired him.
Apparently, you can't call people who might very well be mentally ill as being confused.
That's not nice.
Yep, there's your tolerant, loving, accepting left for you.
Anyway, more Gilmore Crepola, if you can take it, folks.
Quote: In the year since the convoy, many Ottawa residents have expressed how hard it is for them to shake a feeling of unease.
During the official inquiry into the protests, locals described the lingering trauma they continued to experience, end quote.
Gilmore then goes on to quote various people from the capital city crybaby community about the so-called lingering trauma.
Lingering trauma?
You know, folks, was it really just 80-something years ago that 15-year-old boys were lying about their age to enlist in World War II?
In a few generations, we've gone from having minors willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to adults in Ottawa being forever traumatized by horn honking and diesel fumes.
How profoundly sad is that?
A little more, Gilmore.
Quote, looking forward, Ottawa's new mayor, Mark Sutcliffe, says the city has a clear focus, making sure the freedom convoy doesn't happen again, end quote.
Yeah, unless the protesters are trudo supported, such as those who say compromise, Black Lives Matter, of course.
Quote, the Ottawa police have been working very hard and collaborating with other police services to make sure that we're prepared for any events in the next few days, the next few weeks, in the next few years.
We're going to make sure that the kinds of events that happened last year never happen again in the city of Ottawa, end quote.
Yeah, that's right, Your Honor.
Let's make certain all that messy business like peaceful protesting and democracy never again take root in the nation's capital city ever again.
By the way, did you know there's a section of Wellington Street in front of the parliament buildings that remains closed to vehicle traffic to this day?
Oh, it's not due to a blockade mounted by 18 wheeler trucks.
Uh-uh.
Rather, it's due to the city of Ottawa never bothering to remove those cinder block barriers from the area.
Apparently, that kind of blockade is a-okay.
But much like her other comrades in the mainstream media, the Gilmore girl knows who's paying her salary.
Pre Trial Blockade00:15:33
To offer up an unbiased news report and to, oh, God forbid, reach out to the Freedom Convoy participants to see what they have to say one year later.
Oh, that's way too much of an ask.
That would resemble, well, real journalism.
And what we have today is a mainstream media serving as a propaganda mill, the prime directive being to keep the Liberal Party of Canada in power because they all know what is lurking behind door number two, that being Pierre Polyev and his promise to defund the media of government subsidies.
And that's the very worst part of the grotesque and brutally biased reporting by the mainstream media, vis-a-vis the one-year anniversary of the Freedom Convoy.
It is being brought to you by, well, you, the ever-beleaguered taxpayer.
Well, folks, the reason I'm in this seat for Ezra Levent tonight is that the big boss man, he's all the way over in Lethbridge, Alberta, covering the latest Pastor Art Pawlowski trial.
Check this out.
It is Ezra sitting down with Pastor Art and his lawyers for an interview.
Ezra Levant here for Rebel News.
I'm outside the courthouse in Lethbridge, Alberta, where there is a first recess in the trial of Arthur Pavlovsky facing three charges, two criminal code charges, and shockingly, an offense under the Criminal Infrastructure Defense Act, an anti-eco-terrorism law, the most baffling of them all.
And I'm joined by two out of the four members of the legal dream team, a fan favorite, Sarah Miller from JSS Barristers, Chad Haggerty, former cop, now fighting for the good guys against overweening police.
And there were two other lawyers on the team, Emily Amir Kaney and Yori Spencer Millis.
So I am so proud to say, I was sitting behind the dream team and just seeing them there gave me such encouragement.
Let's go straight to the lawyers.
Sarah, can you explain what happened in court today?
It wasn't a normal trial.
Everything was sort of agreed to in advance in terms of facts, right?
Yeah, so we entered an agreed statement of facts as exhibit one to the trial.
It essentially sets out what everybody already knows.
There's a speech that Archer gave February 3rd, 2022.
And the question now for the court to decide is whether that speech that we've now exhibited is criminal or if it's an expression of political beliefs and otherwise constitutional.
So it was really that 19-minute video, which was played on a TV in court.
And that's pretty much it.
I read the agreed statement of facts.
No one is even claiming that he blocked a road, that he has a truck, that he was an organizer.
It really was, is this 19-minute speech a crime?
Am I simplifying things too much or is that where we are?
That's where we are.
Unbelievable.
Now, Chad, it's great to see you again.
remember when we met in Calgary, you've got an interesting path because you were a policeman for many years and now you're defending against what I consider overreach by police.
I thought there would be...
Well stated, yes.
I thought there'd be more meat on the bones on the government side.
I mean, to come at him with that Critical Infrastructure Defense Act, I remember when that law was brought in, it was to stop Greenpeace from, you know, sabotaging a pipeline, to stop railways from being blocked, and to use it in its first instance against a sermon from a pastor.
How can this be proceeding?
I mean, am I too skeptical here?
Give me your thoughts.
So one of the things that you're aware of, and I think many are, is that we've challenged the constitutional validity of the Critical Infrastructure Defense Act.
What we found out in recent days and what everybody in court found out today is that we are not going to have the opportunity to challenge the constitutionality, the validity, the veracity of that act.
It would only happen if Art was found guilty.
If it comes to pass that Art is found guilty, which we don't expect, but it is the process, if he's found guilty, the Crown will be entering a stay of proceedings in respect of the Critical Infrastructure Defense Act.
So namely, they're not going to enter a conviction.
If that's the way it's going, essentially that charge will come off the table.
So that looks to me like they don't have confidence in it.
Like they're almost regretting making the charge because seriously, this is your test case, the Christian pastor giving a fire and brimstone sermon.
This is your ecoterrorism law.
I watched that and I thought the crown doesn't want to have that tested.
Well, one of the things that happens with police officers, you mentioned overreach by the police or by the state.
Shotgunning charges are laying multiple charges that cover the same action is a common tactic.
And what they've done here is they've conceded that there's a case called Regiana and Kineapple, or Rex and Kineapple, that says you can't be convicted for multiple things for the same act.
Essentially, that's very simplified.
So what they're saying is that if he's found guilty of mischief, the exact same action is essentially the exact same offense under the Critical Infrastructure Defense Act.
So essentially, they're saying we've hit him twice with the same blow.
That's not how it should run.
That's what the Supreme Court has said, and that's what the Crown has conceded today.
I was not impressed with the prosecutor, but maybe I'm a tiny bit biased.
Sarah, I know that you guys have to get back in gear.
The judge is reviewing materials.
That's what was interesting to me.
There were no witnesses.
No one was swearing an oath to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth because there was nothing other than that video that Arthur himself published to the world.
It's really creepy to me, though.
I mean, I suppose words can be crimes, uttering a death threat.
That's a crime.
Fraud or words, that's a crime.
But I watched that video and we put it up on our website, savearthur.com.
It sounds like Arthur.
I mean, you've gotten to know Mobile the last three years.
He is a Old Testament style pastor.
He uses the language, the metaphor of militarism, but he was crystal clear that he meant it to be peaceful.
Do you think that the crown is acting on a political mission here?
I don't know if you can answer that question.
It sure feels political to me.
I just, I'm a fan of Arthur's, but I do not see him stepping over the line here.
And I don't think any good judge is going to say, yeah, that's a crime.
I don't know if there's even a question in there, Sarah.
I'm just sort of flummoxed by what I saw.
It is understandably frustrating to see what is a video that is posted to the internet to result in all of this.
Not only the use of the Crown's time, the use of the court's time, but to put somebody at risk of, well, actually not at risk.
He did serve time.
He has pre-trial custody, 51 days, all related to this.
Related to this one.
So he served time in jail for the Coots speech already?
Well, he was detained pre-trial.
So he's got pre-trial custody.
So that was part of his 51 days in prison.
So he's already served time in prison.
Yes.
You know what?
I'm mad about this, but I'm very proud to see you two and your two teammates in court there.
I'm going to let you go because I want you to spend all your mental energy preparing.
But give me 30 seconds of what the procedure will look like.
We're reconvening today at 1.
The judge is going to ask some questions of the Crown.
Then what happens?
And what's on schedule for tomorrow?
So the Crown's going to give their closing arguments, oral arguments.
They've put in their written arguments.
They're going to address their oral arguments.
The judge may or may not have questions.
He may participate in some limited way.
And then we will either, depending on how much time we have left in the day, we'll either start our closing arguments or we'll adjourn until tomorrow and we'll start our closing arguments tomorrow.
Well, I'm so proud of you two.
And let me look in the camera at our viewers because for almost three years, Sarah and her dream team have defended Arthur.
How many times have been in court for him?
It's got to be close to 20 now.
I have no idea.
Many, many times.
Probably around 20, sitting around that.
There is no way a normal person could afford to pay for excellent legal assistance.
No one could do that.
And even a very wealthy person would say it's not worth it.
Just plead guilty.
Like to have a man of principle like Arthur fight with a team that can win is almost impossible.
The only way that is possible is because our viewers in Canada and around the world have chipped in.
Average gift, $58.
So these aren't high rollers.
These are pensioners.
These are Christians.
These are non-Christians.
These are people who are worried about police overreach.
If you want to help keep this team going, I think we're going to win this one.
Go to savearthur.com, chip in.
You'll get a tax receipt from the Democracy Fund that you can use in tax time.
So it doesn't even cost you that much.
As for Levant here for Rebel News, as you can see, I'm standing outside the Lethbridge Courthouse with me, the man on trial today, Arthur Pavlovsky, the pastor who would not shut up when the state told him to shut up.
And what's incredible is you are on trial today for giving a sermon that is not an exaggeration.
That is the only evidence that was shown in court.
A 19-minute sermon.
Nothing else.
What do you think about that?
I'm blown away by it.
Well, like I said to other people, I am not on trial.
Pastor Artopolovsky is not on trial.
Canada is.
Freedom of expression is.
Freedom of religion is.
If I would go down, Canada effectively would lose its rights to freely express themselves.
You can criminalize then any public meeting, any private conversation, any church sermon, any rally, just because if the crown prosecutor would not like what you say, hey, we can charge you with mischief.
We can charge you with this, with that.
So that's one thing.
A second one is a shocker to me that my speech, while during that speech three times, I said to the Canadians, to the trackers, to the farmers, to the people of Alberta to rise up, to stand up, hold the line, but do it peacefully.
Do it without guns, without swords.
Three times I repeated that.
This is a peaceful uprising.
This is a solidarity style.
And I am being compared, or my speech is being compared to Rwanda genocide.
I mean, that's a shocker.
Yeah, that's incredible.
It was an unusual trial.
I've been to many trials in my life and most of them have a witness and they're cross-examined, but there was nothing else because it really just was the speech.
The government and your lawyers had an agreed statement of facts.
You don't have a truck.
You didn't block the road.
You weren't an organizer.
You just went, gave the speech and came back.
You were in and out in a matter of hours.
It's such a tiny, narrow case, but for the government to throw this many resources at it, police.
two prosecutors, this court for two days.
This feels like a political prosecution.
100%.
And do not forget that just before Christmas, they dumped thousands of pages of so-called disclosure on the lap of my defense team just to frustrate.
And I remember Sarah was telling me that the people that dropped it, they were laughing and it says defense will never be able to go through that.
So here's what I believe they were planning to do.
They wanted us to postpone the trial.
You see, they don't want to face us like men.
They are cowards.
They are tyrants.
They have agenda and they hate anyone that dares to call them out.
Anyone that dares to stand against what they're planning to do, that you own nothing, you will be munching on the crickets and you will be riding a bicycle.
Anyone that dares to say the other side of the story becomes a target.
So it's very disappointing from so many levels.
It's disappointing that the government will be willing to waste millions of dollars on this persecution and prosecution.
And also that this was not stopped with this new government in power right now.
I was really hoping that the Conservative government is going to do what they promised that they're going to do.
But here I am today, not just me on trial, but you as well.
Every Canadian is on trial today.
You know, I was watching your video and I had watched it before.
And it was a pep talk.
It was a sermon.
It was a history lesson about Poland and Lech Wolensa, the solidarity movement.
It was a peaceful political speech.
You thrice, three times, you said, keep it peaceful.
And I thought to myself, you know, I give speeches sometimes too.
In fact, I gave speeches to truckers, a speech to truckers in Ottawa just for a minute.
And I thought, if they can prosecute you, why can't they prosecute me?
Why can't they prosecute anyone that they simply disagree with?
If what you did was a crime, then I'm a criminal too.
And I put it to any Canadian who disagrees with the establishment is a criminal.
This is a shocking case.
And I think a lot turns on this, much more than just your freedom.
I really think this is important.
100%.
Like I said at the beginning, this is truly a trial of the century.
I don't think Canadians realize how serious this trial is.
And you're absolutely right.
I listened to your speech in Ottawa.
I was very proud that you were there.
You were willing to risk your life, risking being arrested.
But excuse me, for what?
If I'm guilty, you're guilty and anybody else is guilty as well.
Now imagine a pastor trying to deliver a sermon, a fiery sermon to his congregants.
After if I would be convicted of a criminal offense, there you go.
You have no right to deliver sermons.
You have no right to speak at the town halls.
You have no right to even privately communicate your feelings peacefully because the government might deem that speech criminal.
Well, it's incredible.
I just want you to give one word.
I mean, not quite 100 people now.
There was a little more earlier.
The courtroom itself completely packed.
I had to jam myself in to get in there.
A lot of these folks have come in from out of town.
What do you make about this?
Do you think it's a statement that this prosecution is out of touch with the people?
Give me a word about the folks who came to show you support.
Well, there's a lot more inside.
It's pretty cold right now, right?
And lots of people came with their families.
Well, it's a statement on itself.
People are sick and tired of the tyrants.
And you got to remember, it's Thursday.
People do work.
That's right.
We received thousands of emails, texts.
I mean, actually, they do not stop.
People are saying, or praying for you.
Stand.
You cannot win.
You cannot lose.
We cannot lose this case.
This is very important.
So people simply came to support.
We're going to have Holy Communion together.
We were singing some songs.
We started, of course, everything with our national anthem.
We love Canada.
We're Canadians.
I'm very grateful for this land that gave me a second chance, if you will, another opportunity.
People Praying for You00:02:41
Now I got three children and I'm worried about my children.
What kind of a nation are we going to pass to the next generation?
Really, right now it's up to us.
So in a few minutes, we're going to continue singing.
We're going to do a Holy Communion, a Lord's Supper together, and then we'll go back to the court.
Last question.
I think I saw your son in there asking very good questions of your lawyer.
Do you think your son's going to become a lawyer?
100%.
He actually applied already.
Are you serious?
Yes, he finished.
He passed his Ulsat.
Are you serious?
He already applied for the law school.
He's so young.
Well, he's 22.
Okay, he looks younger than 22.
Well, wouldn't that be something if after all the trials and ordeals of the last three years, if one thing that came out of it was that a Pavlovsky were to become admitted to the Law Society and become a freedom-fighting lawyer, I can think of no finer legacy.
You must be so proud.
I saw him asking very smart questions of Sarah Miller, your lawyer.
You must be very proud.
I am.
He's a lot smarter than me.
And of course, his English is perfect, right?
I sometimes listen to him and say, my God, why can't you just up my game a little bit and give me a little bit more wisdom so I can sound a little bit better?
Yeah, I am extremely, we are with my wife extremely proud of our son, Nathaniel.
As you remember, he was the one with my brother David that organized the longest ongoing protest in the history of the Riemann Center outside of Calgary-Riemann every day for 47 days.
They were right there fighting for my life and showing to the whole world what's really going on in Canada.
So he is already applying for the lawsuit for the law school.
And you know, people are laughing because as you remember, many years ago, I was called a street advocate, right?
Street lawyer.
And now people say, well, you need an in-house lawyer.
And it pays off.
I mean, he's a smart kid.
He has been witnessing his father going through over 340 citations, over 100 court cases, 16 arrests since he was five years old.
I once listened to his interview that he gave to some American big network.
And they asked him, how do you feel about that?
He says, well, that's the only thing I know.
My father is in and out of jail, in and out of court.
So for me, I used to it.
But that's what triggered his interest in law.
He wants to fight for people like me.
He wants to fight for people that are facing injustice at the hands of the bullies.
Well, when he's called to the bar, I want to be a client of his because I know he'll fight with the determination of a Pavlovsky.
Fighting For Rights00:03:49
Fight like a lion.
Great to see you.
Good luck.
And folks, we do have a legal dream team in there.
Four lawyers today, three lawyers and an Arnoclin student.
It doesn't come cheap.
As you know, we've been defending Arthur for three years.
And I want to say to your listeners, I want to thank you so much for every penny, for every dollar you have donated.
I mean, the truth is, and that's the truth.
I would not be able to do that without the support of the rebel news, without the Democracy Defense Fund.
I'll just not simply be able to afford.
We paid over a million dollars right now, by my estimation, of the legal fees just to defend our God and state given rights.
If it's not for you, I'll probably be in prison.
I'm probably dead because you know what they tried to do to me when I was locked.
I heard it and that was just shocking.
Well, listen, we're grateful to you because we can give 100 bucks or 250 bucks, but you are giving yourself.
And my theology is not that strong.
I'm Jewish.
I don't know the Christian theology, but it's Christ-like to offer your physical body as a sacrifice.
You were jailed, you were arrested, you were handcuffed for others.
And so the least we can do is chip in a few bucks because you're the one on the firing line.
And God willing, we'll keep you out of jail.
And I know we will.
You know, Jesus was the biggest freedom fighter ever.
The Bible says that who comes to him is free indeed.
You see, he died for freedom.
If he died for my freedom, I'm willing to be jailed for your freedom.
It's amazing.
Arthur Pavlovsky, if you want to chip in, go to savearthur.com.
We will defend you until the end because you are defending us until the end.
All right.
I'll have more updates from the Lethbridge Courthouse today and tomorrow.
which I mentioned earlier in my monologue tonight.
Perky Lady writes, we don't belong in the Ukraine war.
We have no business in others' affairs while our own country is in such disarray.
Yeah, I think that when it comes to the war in Ukraine, that's a bit of a red herring.
The main point of this paper is the fact that there are somehow, I don't know, people in Moscow directing what happened on Wellington Street in Ottawa last February.
Many rebel reporters were there.
We didn't get any whiff of this ridiculous and debunked Russian collusion theory.
Can't the left move on already?
Free West Guy writes, even Trump still supports the obvious fraud vaccines.
If these injections don't stop transmission or infection, what is the point of taking them?
Yeah, I have to admit, I'm a big Donald Trump fan.
On this particular point, he's wrong, and I wish he'd drop it.
We'll see what happens in the months ahead when it comes to the Republicans having a nominee for the 2024 election campaign.
Lots of drama to ensue, I'm certain.
Well, folks, that wraps up tonight's edition of the Ezra Event Show.
Thanks for tuning in.
I believe my colleague Sheila Gunreed is substituting for Ezra tomorrow.