Cullen McDonald has won the appeal of his conviction relating to a second anti-lockdown rally:
A packed courtroom erupted in applause after a Welland judge dismissed a Crown appeal against a man police say played a major role in an anti-lockdown protest in Niagara Falls during the height of the pandemic.
Following a hearing in a Superior Court of Justice in Welland on Friday, Judge James Ramsay dismissed the appeal of the acquittal against Cullen McDonald, formerly of Lincoln.
The judge also granted McDonald’s appeal of his conviction relating to an anti-lockdown rally held in St. Catharines about a week after the gathering in Niagara Falls, and then quashed the conviction.
While this is good news, most of the people who rule over Canadian deplorables are like Judge Dickhead:
‘ Judge Joseph De Filippis found McDonald guilty and said participants in the May 1, 2021, rally in downtown St. Catharines chose to “shut their eyes to reality.”
“They were focused on freedom,” De Filippis said in his verdict.
“Freedom is not a licence, freedom is a responsibility. The defendant’s freedom to swing his arms ends at my nose.” ‘
What a POS.
Bluddy
Lefties think they dictate freedom, and free speech. But then so do the bible pounders.
As I’v been a victim to that on both sides of the aisle .
Just because the defendant’s freedom to swing his arms ends at someone’s nose doesn’t mean a bully doesn’t deserve a punch in the nose. How much did that judge cost the defendant by being wrong about what he’s being paid to get right?
“The defendant’s freedom to swing his arms ends at my nose.”
That’s quite the torturing of a libertarian quote by a judge that obviously has zero understanding of libertarianism. Bodily autonomy, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of movement, economic freedom, free and informed consent…all these basic rights and more were suspended by governments. Everyone at that protest knew they might get covid and were willing to take that risk to defend their human, medical and constitutional rights.
Those who feared public gatherings due to covid had the right not to attend the protest. If the metaphorical fist touched anyone’s nose, it would have been because they chose to walk face first into an outstretched arm.
Yes, it’s good news. But here’s “the” problem:
Epoch Times has just published the results of a very recent poll concerning past and present prime ministers. One of the questions was “What are the top 10 issues you’d like the next PM to focus on?”
Only 36 percent of the supposedly conservative respondents thought that the erosion of personal freedoms was something the next PM should deal with.
So, more than 6 out of 10 conservative Canadians aren’t concerned about their freedoms at all.
I’m betting they’re Conservatives.
Freedom is an abstract concept for most people. They don’t think about it because it’s difficult to articulate what it means and everyone has a slightly different understanding of what it should mean. At best, a majority will be able to give examples of what a lack of personal and economic freedom looks like – the Soviet Union, Mao, fascism, slavery, concentration camps, etc.
Those in power have realized that if you take away freedom slowly and on the sly then many people wouldn’t realize their freedoms are slipping away until it’s too late. In many ways, the massive covid overreach and abuse of government power woke enough people up to (hopefully) change this slow slide into authoritarianism.
” … the massive covid overreach and abuse of government power woke enough people up to (hopefully) change this slow slide into authoritarianism.”
No optimism here, LC. To think that only 36 percent of respondents – all who went through two years of having their freedoms pissed on – would rate the loss of freedoms as a concern, is a sad, sad reflection on Canadians and an open window into the future of this Country.
There were a number of options in the survey. I expect most prioritized. I don’t think that loss of freedoms was as important (to many) as some of the other choices.
I’d like to see those numbers significantly higher but social and political change can happen at levels lower than 36% – American revolution, gay rights. A small, determined vocal minority can and have moved the needle. Canadians are a passive, slow moving herd but I am seeing more awareness about the issue of freedom and resentment of abusive government policies. I also suspect that the first to move are blue collar workers, tradesmen, rural people and independent business people. Which is why those groups are mocked and attacked so relentlessly by the chattering class in central Canada.
There were a number of options in the survey. I expect most prioritized. I don’t think that loss of freedoms was as important (to many) as some of the other choices.
I hope this judge understands that the CRA, RCMP etc., etc., will now be weaponized against him. This is Canada, the Liberal Government is in charge, and resistance is futile