(Ottawa) The woman who went to court last year seeking an injunction against the “Freedom Convoy” faced protest organizers in criminal court on Monday.
Zexi Li testified at the criminal trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber on Monday morning.
Mr.me Li took the stand on Monday. She remained silent on the witness stand during cross-examination.
At the start of her testimony, defense attorneys said Ms.me Li used the word “occupation” to describe the protest, during which large trucks and large crowds blocked the streets of downtown Ottawa for weeks.
“I object to the continued use of the word ‘occupation,'” said Diane Magas, Chris Barber’s attorney. It is very irritating to my ears.”
Mme Magas said the term was irritating, especially since the witness was “pretty invested” in the cause.
Mme Li is representing Ottawa residents, workers and business owners in a request to file a $290 million class action against the convoy organizers. The movement accuses the city of suffering as thousands of protesters battled trucks in the streets of Ottawa for three weeks.
Mme Both Mr. Leach and Mr. Barber are defendants in this class action claim.
Judge Heather Perkins-McVay Mme Li said he preferred to use the words “protest” or “protest”. But what the witness says is “up to her,” he added.
Like many witnesses called by the government in this trial, Mr.me Li described the excessive noise of trucks honking on Monday “most days, if not all day.”
“It was hard to live as a man,” he said.
During the second week of protests in Ottawa, Mme Li then went to court to successfully obtain an injunction against the continued honking. She acknowledged that the noise had subsided on Monday, but she still heard the occasional stretch of “joint honking,” where all the horns seemed to sound in concert for a while.
The crown intends to prove Mme Lich and Mr. Barbour had influence over the crowd.
Reliability defects
In cross-examination, Mme Li said he could only remember the date of a specific event, February 7, 2022, “Collective Honking.”
Mme During the third week of protests, Li told the court that he had walked the streets to record evidence that the court injunction had not been respected.
She also took a photo of a truck carrying fuel cans partially parked on the pavement. The witness testified at the trial that the driver “backed the truck” at her, while nearby protesters honked their horns and shouted at her. He called the police to report the incident, but no action was taken. She could not tell the court the exact date of the incident.
During his cross-examination, Mme Licht, Lawrence Greenspan, M explores potential flaws in reliabilityme Lee compares his answers in court to his testimony before a federal investigation into the use of the government Emergency Measures ActLast year.
“There are many areas where he always says things and is never really challenged,” Mr. Greenspan said outside court Monday.
“I think we can all see the cross-examination before the emergency commission pales in comparison to what she faced today. »
For example, during the federal investigation, Mme Li said he remembers police coming to his apartment building to hear about residents throwing eggs at protesters. On Monday, she said she had only heard about the police investigations on her building’s Facebook page.
Mr Greenspan also asked if he remembered cursing at protesters during the confrontation involving the truck and fuel cans.
He confirmed he had done so, but Mr Greenspan showed the court a transcript of his sworn testimony last year: “I could have said that.”
He also questioned M’s previous legal actionsme Li.
Intimidation
In his decision to grant the injunction against the horns, Judge Hugh McLean ruled that the protest would be allowed to continue as long as it was lawful and peaceful.
The injunction lasted only 10 days and M’s lawyerme Li, Paul Champ, requested his extension on February 16.
Mr. Mr. Champ did not invite the protesters to court. Greenspan insisted. He did not seek to extend the ban to other aspects of the demonstration.
Why Mr.me Li chatted with his lawyer, Emily Daman, during his lunch break.
M heard the audience’s laughter in the courtme Perkins-McVey said raising the threat of a breach of professional confidentiality was serious and threatened to fire anyone she believed did not show the necessary respect.
Mme Li told the court they were discussing what she was going to have for dinner when Mr Greenspan interrupted and suggested she not speak to her lawyer.
He was seen in tears as he left the courtroom moments later.
His attorney, Paul Champ, announced last week that Mme Li did not want to testify, but would do his duty as a citizen if asked.
He mme Lee has been harassed since he went to court against Convoy, and again after he testified before Judge Paul Rouleau’s commission of inquiry into the federal government’s use of Emergency Measures Act. She benefited from police escort while in court.
The court also heard testimony from Ottawa resident Paul Jorgensen, who said the entrance to his parking lot was completely blocked by trucks. A few days after the protests began, he said, he jumped into his car and jumped a barricade to escape downtown.
“We eventually had to leave the city because I couldn’t keep working,” he told the court, pointing to the “cacophonous” noise and smell of idling vehicles.
When he returned on February 9, he spoke of difficulty in getting food.
“We couldn’t order food or get food at the grocery store, and we used up all the food in our pantry,” she said.
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