Tyson “Freedom George” Billings left the Ottawa courthouse on Wednesday, waving the Canadian flag in a cacophony of shouts and air horns, after pleading guilty to charges related to the protest of the convoy that captured the city earlier this year. .
Billings spent 116 days in jail before pleading guilty to misconduct counseling. The Crown dropped other charges, including intimidation, obstruction of police, mischief and disobedience to a court order.
“I do not regret it. I am a freedom fighter,” Billings said in front of the courthouse, minutes after his release, about the jubilation of about 50 supporters, including some who took part in the February protests.
Called “George of Freedom” by his fellow protesters, Billings was a key figure in a three-week demonstration against COVID-19 restrictions and the Liberal government, although Crown Councilor Moiz Karimji was careful to point out that he was not one of the leaders.
Protesters in large platforms and other trucks blocked streets in the center for weeks and set up camps, forcing businesses to close and creating what police and politicians described as “lawlessness” in downtown Ottawa.
According to the agreed statement of facts read aloud in court, Billings was filmed in social media videos that do not obey police checkpoints designed to keep people out of downtown Ottawa during the protest and encourage others to thwart checkpoints.
Billings also said he was militant to police and encouraged other protesters to “hold the line.”
“I was fascinated at the moment, of course, who wouldn’t,” Billings said after leaving court. – I do not regret anything.
Billings said he “went to jail for the children” to lift school mask mandates.
Karimji said in court that he could have tried to prove the other allegations against Billings and ask for a longer prison sentence, but chose not to do so in light of Billings’ first convoy figure. takes responsibility for his actions.
Billings was sentenced to time and six months of probation on condition that he keep the peace.
“You should not break the law, regardless of your views on various issues,” Karimji said.
Before he was released, Billings listened to the trial from the prisoner’s box with his arms crossed over his black T-shirt that read, “Fear God, not COVID.”
Jake Chadie, Billings’ lawyer, told the court that his client felt he was “morally justified” in doing what he had done during the Ottawa protest.
“He has every opportunity, every right to do what he has done. But he can’t break the law, “Billings understands.”
Supreme Court Justice Robert Maranger said he had agreed to release Billings at the joint request of the Crown and the defense, as Billings had claimed responsibility.
He said the sentence was not retaliatory. He also said it was good to believe in a cause, but that it could “get out of hand”.
Billings was initially charged with co-organizer Pat King and was described in the co-ordinated statement of facts as a “close connection” with King.
Now that the rest of Billings’ charges have been dropped, King will face those charges on his own, and his trial is expected to go according to plan.
Billings said he would return to Alberta to “recover.” His lawyer told the court that Billings planned to work on his family’s farm in High Prairie, Alta. and get to work in logging.
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