Canada is out of control. Our neighbor to the North has descended into authoritarian chaos ever since the COVID pandemic, which led to the great truckers’ rally in Ottawa over the vaccine mandates. Since then, we’ve had Nazis celebrated in parliament. Sikh leaders are getting assassinated reportedly by Indian agents. And now, reporters are arrested for doing their job.
David Menzies of Rebel News attempted to ask Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland a question when her Royal Canadian Mountain Police detail arrested him. He was later released after it was determined he posed no serious threat to Ms. Freeland, but the video of the incident is ridiculous. The officer accused Menzies of assaulting him while approaching the deputy prime minister. It’s total malarky. He tells the officer that he was the one who ran into him and that he was merely trying to do his job as a credentialed media member, but to no avail. The officer placed him under arrest. The actions of the police are now under review (via National Post):
BREAKING: Rebel News reporter David Menzies (@TheMenzoid) was brutally arrested by police after he tried to ask Chrystia Freeland questions.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) January 8, 2024
Visit Rebel News for more on this story: https://t.co/J42ReU1MjY pic.twitter.com/5vgNotnjyy
This is the state of freedom of the press.
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) January 9, 2024
In Canada. In 2024.
After 8 years of Trudeau. pic.twitter.com/7EpRW0fulX
A member of the RCMP security detail who grabbed and arrested a Rebel News commentator while questioning Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland Monday is under review by the federal force after video of the incident sparked outrage for a seemingly dubious arrest.
David Menzies was grabbed and pushed by an RCMP officer and told he was under arrest for assault as he was asking the minister questions about the government’s terrorism response, outside of a vigil in Richmond Hill, just north of Toronto, to mark four years since Iran’s military shot down Flight PS752, killing 176 people, many of them Canadian.
“RCMP protective policing resources were involved in an incident while deployed on a protective operation,” said Sgt. Kim Chamberland, an RCMP spokesperson. “The RCMP is looking into the incident and the actions of all parties involved. No further comment is available at this time.”
When asked by National Post to clarify that the review applies to both Menzies as well as the unnamed RCMP officer, Chamberland replied: “It refers to all parties involved.”
The incident has received global attention.
[…]
You’re under arrest,” the man says, according to the video. He then grabs Menzies’ arm that holds his microphone and twists it down. “You’re under arrest for assault,” the officer adds.
“Why am I under arrest, you bumped into me,” Menzies asks.
“You pushed into me,” the officer replies. Menzies asks him his name and badge number but he is not heard answering.
“You’ve been told you’re under arrest,” another unidentified man in a suit says as he reaches out for Menzies.
“Why am I under arrest? He blocked my way,” Menzies tells the second man. The first officer then tells Menzies he is a peace officer and Menzies is under arrest for assaulting a peace officer.
Menzies is known for his ‘in your face’ provocative street interviews. That’s not illegal. Even left-wing Canadians were unsettled by the arrest. Canada is arresting reporters for asking questions, which sadly is what a lot of Democrats want to happen here.