The trial for the leaders of the so-called Freedom Convoy protest that gridlocked Canada’s capital for weeks in 2022 began on Tuesday.
Tamara Lich and Chris Barber each face counts of mischief and obstructing police.
The two were part of a group that led a convoy of lorries to Ottawa to protest against Covid-19 measures and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government.
Experts say the outcome of the trial could reverberate beyond the courts.
I live in downtown Ottawa and did during the convoy too. There’s often protests going on down here considering it’s the capital, but this one was not the same. I and everyone else down here faced constant harassment whenever we left our houses and had to listen to horns blaring 24/7. People were assaulted for just wearing a mask on the street, business windows broken for having pride flags, and roads blocked for 3 weeks straight.
People here say it was an occupation rather than a protest and it really did feel like it.