Convoy Protester Pat King Faces New Charges of Perjury, Obstruction of Justice

Pat King gives a speech in front of Parliament Hill during the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa on Feb. 5, 2021. (Noé Chartier/The Epoch Times)

The Crown laid additional charges on Tuesday against Pat King, the last of the high-profile trucker convoy protesters to remain behind bars.

King was charged with three counts of perjury and three counts of obstruction of justice.

These now pile on the 10 other previously laid charges, including mischief, intimidation, obstructing police, and disobeying a court order.

King was arrested on Feb. 18 in Ottawa on the first day of the police clearing operation of the convoy protest, after the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14.

Unlike other protesters charged in relation to the same event, King has yet to secure bail.

King has had trouble retaining a lawyer, and at a bail hearing on April 13 he was represented by attorney David Goodman, but the latter’s computer was apparently hacked during the hearing.

He has now retained the services of criminal defence attorney Natasha Calvinho.

Steeve Charland, who was involved on the Gatineau side of the protest, was released on March 21 on a $22,000 bond, and convoy organizer Tamara Lich was released on March 7 on a $25,000 bond. Chris Barber was released a day after his arrest on Feb. 17 on a reported $100,000 bond. All have severe bail conditions such as refraining from using social media or contacting protest organizers.

Keith Wilson, a lawyer representing the Freedom Convoy, has said that King was not one of the organizers of the protest.

“I can confirm that the legal lawsuit relating to the injunction was framed as though Pat King is part of the Freedom Convoy, and I confirmed in writing to the personal injury lawyer and I made representations directly to the court to confirm that … these folks, the Freedom Convoy, have no affiliation with Mr. King whatsoever,” Wilson said at a press conference on Feb. 6.

“These folks” was a reference to the individuals sitting beside him, Daniel Bulford, Tamara Lich, and Benjamin Dichter. Bulford was arrested but not charged, and Dichter was never arrested.

The injunction relates to a civil suit that was initiated against protest organizers by an Ottawa resident.

King’s social media posts and participation in the protest have been used by opponents to paint the movement as fringe and extremist.

In a video reportedly posted online on Dec. 16, King can be heard saying “the only way this is going to be solved is with bullets.” It’s unclear what “this” refers to.

During a meeting of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety on Feb. 25, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said Convoy organizers and leaders of the movement have publicly made statements calling for the overthrow of the government with violence and “through the use of bullets.”

Mendicino didn’t specify whether he was alluding to that video of King in particular.

Meanwhile, Freedom Convoy organizers have always insisted their movement was committed to non-violence and that every allegation of dangerous or violent acts by protesters in Ottawa has remained unproven or debunked, such as the presence of loaded firearms or involvement in arson.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.