Rebel News journalist David Menzies was apprehended on Monday (8 January 2024) after he confronted Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland regarding the government’s decision not to include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the list of designated terrorist entities.
The incident, which took place in Richmond Hill, Ontario, was captured on video and shows Menzies colliding briefly with a police officer while trying to approach Freeland during an event commemorating the destruction of Flight PS752, a Ukrainian International Airlines plane that was downed by the Iranian military in January 2020, resulting in the loss of numerous Canadian lives.
The video from Monday’s encounter appears to depict an officer stepping into Menzies’ path while he was carrying a microphone in the parking lot of a suburban strip mall. Subsequently, the officer grabbed Menzies by his lapels, pushed him against a wall, and accused him of assault before arresting him. Menzies disputed the charge, asserting that he hadn’t physically touched anyone and suggested that it was an unjustified accusation. He also made a reference to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in his comments.
The whole incident was captured by David’s cameraman Lincoln Jay.
“This is a trumped-up charge of assault, folks. I didn’t come here to cause any trouble. I came here to do my job and now I’m handcuffed. This is your Canada now, folks. This is the gestapo taking blackface’s orders,“, he vociferously said.
Menzies requested the officer’s name and badge number, but it’s unclear whether those details were provided in the video. The officer in question was later identified as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) protective detail by a spokesperson from the York Regional Police, who clarified that there was no credible security threat, and Menzies was released without conditions.
The RCMP also issued a statement acknowledging their involvement in the incident and mentioned that they were looking into the actions of all parties involved, without providing further details at that time.
Rebel News widely shared the video of the incident and presented their perspective on their website, claiming that Menzies was assaulted and arrested by Freeland’s bodyguards.
The Rebel News said that Menzies was outside a vigil for the victims of terrorism, when he spotted Liberal Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland walking in.
“David tried to ask Freeland a question. But as soon as he did, an RCMP bodyguard ran into David, grabbed him, arrested him and falsely accused him of assault! Soon, David was swarmed by police, handcuffed and frog-marched into a police car.“, it read.
Rebel News further said in its report “David did nothing wrong — except ask a question. The police lied about the assault. They’re the ones who assaulted him. They obviously knew what they were doing was wrong because the cop who attacked David refused to identify himself — David asked multiple times for a name and badge number, which they are obligated to provide. It’s deeply disappointing to see how easily the police lied about what happened, all to please their Liberal masters. But the video doesn’t lie.” adding that David’s rights as a reporter and his rights as a citizen were violated.
“This is Canada, not Iran. Anyone is allowed to ask a politician a question. Even if — especially if —the politician doesn’t like the question. No one is allowed to abuse our people physically, and we will pursue justice whenever they do.“, the report said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu condemned the arrest, with Gladu calling for the House of Commons heritage committee to be recalled to investigate the matter and demand transparency and accountability regarding Menzies’ apprehension.
(With inputs from CBC News)
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