Reporter trying to question Deputy PM arrested

Rebel News reporter David Menzies was arrested, but not charged, yesterday in Richmond Hill while trying to question Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on a public sidewalk. 

RCMP arrest Rebel News journalist after questioning Chrystia Freeland | True North | Cosmin Dzsurdzsa:

January 8, 2024 - "Rebel News journalist David Menzies was arrested on Monday ... in Richmond Hill ... for attempting to question Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on a public street. The police officer who arrested Menzies said it was for assaulting a police officer, which he accused Menzies of doing while walking alongside Freeland....

"Menzies was physically obstructed by an unidentified plainclothes police officer who appears to be with the RCMP. Video footage captures the moment when the situation escalates, with Menzies surrounded by officers and eventually escorted away in a police car. Menzies asks the police officer on two occasions for his name and badge number, but the officer does not provide it. Menzies told True North he was released later without charges."

Read more: https://tnc.news/2024/01/08/arrest-rebel-menzies-freeland/

BREAKING: Rebel News’ David Menzies brutally arrested for scrumming Freeland | Rebel News | January 8, 2024:

Truly frightening and deeply wrong... | Western Standard | Brian Giesbrecht:

January 8, 2028: "Ezra Levant’s Rebel News is familiar to Canadians. Some never watch it.... Others watch it every day.... But whatever your view, what is now happening to Rebel News reporters is just wrong.... [O]n Monday, January 8, 2024, Rebel News reporter David Menzies was thuggishly assaulted, handcuffed and shoved into a police cruiser by police officers, in a scene that is usually reserved for the worst autocracies on this planet.

"Menzies was questioning Minister Chrystia Freeland as she walked down the street. He is entitled to do that. It is called 'scrumming'. A cabinet minister is expected to respond to questions from Canadian reporters — even ones she doesn’t like. It is part of the job. 

A burly officer approaches, and very deliberately bumps into Menzies. The police then accuse Menzies of assaulting Freeland, or unspecified others — something Menzies clearly didn’t do. From that point on they treat Menzies as they would a dangerous criminal, or terrorist. He is handcuffed and stuffed into a police cruiser.

"What we see on this video clip is something that would have been inconceivable in Stephen Harper’s Canada. But it would have been equally inconceivable in Jean Chretien’s Canada. Or Paul Martin’s, Brian Mulroney’s, and on down the line.... A scene like this in downtown Moscow or Tehran would probably not be uncommon. But to see it playing out in plain sight in Canada is truly frightening. And deeply wrong."

Brian Giesbrecht is a retired Manitoba Provincial Court Judge.

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/opinion/giesbrecht-truly-frightening-and-deeply-wrong/51517

Trudeau minister ordered to unblock Rebel News

A federal court judge has ordered Trudeau's environment minister, Steven Guilbeault, to stop blocking the account of Rebel News founder Ezra Levant on X, and to ensure it remains unblocked for as long as Guilbeault remains in Parliament. 

Court orders environment minister to unblock Rebel News founder on X | CBC News | Jim Bronskill, Canadian Press:

September 12, 2023 - "Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault must unblock Rebel News founder Ezra Levant on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, under the terms of a court order. The order issued by Federal Court Justice Russel Zinn ends an action Levant filed two years ago claiming the Liberal minister was violating his constitutional rights by blocking him. Levant argued that his inability to see or respond to Guilbeault's posts on the platform limited his ability to engage in debate on matters of public concern.

"The order says the parties acknowledge that Guilbeault and the federal government 'do not admit and in fact deny any liability in respect of the allegations made in the application.' However, under the order, the minister must ensure his X account unblocks Levant immediately and remains unblocked for as long as Guilbeault remains a member of Parliament. The court also ordered the government to pay $20,000 toward Rebel's legal expenses....

"In an affidavit filed with the court, Treasury Board Secretariat official Tracey Headley said Service Canada confirmed that the account in question was not an official Government of Canada social media account. Levant argued in the initial notice of application to the court that the Guilbeault account had all the trappings of an official, state-run account, adding the content was public in nature. The notice said the freedom of expression protected by the Charter of Rights includes the derivative right to access government information where it is necessary for meaningful expression on the functioning of government.

"A federal filing in the case points out that in various Twitter posts while Guilbeault was Canadian heritage minister, Levant called him a 'kook,' a 'thug' and possibly 'the stupidest cabinet minister in Ottawa.' Levant noted in his submission that Guilbeault chose to block him rather than use the social media platform's less intrusive muting function, which allows a user to remove another user's posts from their timeline without unfollowing or blocking that account."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/steven-guilbeault-must-unblock-ezra-levant-1.6964294

We Beat Trudeau's Cabinet Minister Steven Guilbeault in Court | Rebel News | September 12, 2023:

Rebel News just beat Steven Guilbeault in the Federal Court of Canada after a dispute surrounding censorship of the public on Twitter | Rebel News | Ezra Levant:

September 11, 20- "Like his boss Justin Trudeau, Steven Guilbeault hates Rebel News because he can’t control us.... They both admire China’s dictatorship and they think they can act like little dictators themselves, by censoring us. And they’re both thin-skinned and petty. So here’s what Guilbeault did. He ordered his government department to 'block' us on X, formerly Twitter. So we couldn’t receive any government news updates from his department’s Twitter account. We couldn’t read anything, we couldn’t reply, and of course we couldn’t ask him journalistic questions on Twitter. We were effectively kicked out of the public square, which is what Twitter has become.... 

"So we sued. We went to the Federal Court of Canada and argued that we had a right to see those tweets — that it was a government service like any other.... Guilbeault fought us for more than two years. We had a court hearing in Toronto this summer, and the government had seven lawyers in the court, all just to stop us from seeing their tweets.... Well, today Guilbeault finally caved — he agreed to a 'consent order' against him.... Guilbeault’s government lawyers tried to get me to sign a confidentiality clause, banning me from disclosing the details of his settlement. Even as he was admitting he had violated our rights, he wanted to keep it a secret.... Guilbeault has been ordered by the court to un-block me and to never ban me again, as long as he’s an MP....

"Guilbeault has been ordered to pay Rebel News $20,000 for making us waste two years and enormous legal fees to assert our constitutional rights. Of course, he’ll probably make taxpayers pay that for him, even though it was he who broke the law. $20,000 sounds like a lot of money, and it is — but unfortunately, it’s just a fraction of what we had to spend to finally get this little thug to back down. (I can only imagine how much it cost taxpayers for Guilbeault to have SEVEN government lawyers defending him — he’ll probably try to keep that amount secret, too.)

"In some ways, today’s victory is a small thing. But having the Federal Court smack down government censorship is never a small thing. And it sets a precedent for all other bullies in Trudeau’s government, reminding them that they cannot use public resources to carry out a vendetta against their political critics."
Read more: https://www.rebelnews.com/breaking_news_ezra_levant_defeats_trudeau_cabinet_minister_steven_guilbeault_in_court

Canada's Rebel News wins debate exclusion suit

We sued Trudeau's debates commission today — judge to announce verdict tomorrow! | Rebel News - Ezra Levant:

September 07, 2021 - "I just got out of a three-hour hearing at the Federal Court of Canada. We are suing Trudeau’s hand-picked debates commission, because they banned our Rebel News journalists from attending the leaders' debates this week....

"The judge presiding over the case — Justice Elizabeth Heneghan — ... repeatedly took issue with Trudeau’s case, challenging many of their arguments. As the hours went by, I was more and more hopeful. Would we actually beat Trudeau again, and strike a win for freedom of the press, like we did when he banned us back in 2019 and the Federal Court sided with us?...

"Our lawyer, Chad Williamson, did an excellent job. He was outnumbered seven to one — Trudeau sent an army of lawyers to block us....  Chad did a great job standing up for freedom — not just for our reporters, but for all Canadians."

Read more: https://www.rebelnews.com/leaders_debates_commission_court_ruling_justice_heneghan_ruling

Rebel News wins court battle to cover leaders’ debates, will accredit 11 journalists | National Post - Micke Blanchard, Canadian Press:

September 08, 2021 - "A judge in the Federal Court of Canada has ruled the Leaders’ Debates Commission incorrectly denied Rebel News Network accreditation to Wednesday’s French-language and Thursday’s English-language competition between the major party leaders. Justice Elizabeth Heneghan’s decision ... means Rebel News reporters will be accredited to attend the debate. While the debate broadcast can be watched by anyone, journalists require accreditation so they can take part afterward in the questioning of the leaders.... Rebel News had been granted an emergency hearing Tuesday in the court after the debates commission denied several of its journalists the credentials needed to fully cover the debates."

Read more: https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/election-2021/judge-to-rule-today-whether-rebel-news-may-be-accredited-to-cover-the-leaders-debates

Calgary AB youth arrested for playing hockey

Unsettling video shows cops assaulting, pulling taser on young man for playing ice hockey outside | The Blaze - Paul Sacca: 

December 19, 2020 - "Disturbing video is coming out of Canada showing police officers assaulting and aiming a taser at a young man for playing ice hockey at an outside rink in Alberta. A viral video shows Calgary police shutting down a pickup ice hockey game at an outside rink. The cops claim that the game was violating public health orders. There were reports of 40 people at the Southwood community rink and skatepark. According to the Alberta government website: 'Outdoor team sports must also be limited to 10 people or fewer and 2 metre distancing must be maintained at all times.'

"Two female officers attempt to apprehend the man, who refuses to abide by the cops' orders to get on the ground. One officer is caught on video kneeing the hockey player, but he continues to stand on the ice. During the tussle, one of the police officers falls to the ground. 

"When someone asks why the officer has their hand on a gun, the cop replies, 'It's not a gun, it's a taser, and he's under arrest, and I have the authority to use force to effect an arrest.' While pointing her taser squarely aimed at the man, the cop screams, "Get on the ground! Get on the f***ing ground! Get on the ground before I f***ing taser you!'

"Onlookers urge the man to come off the ice and surrender to the police. One female officer appears to try to put a chokehold on the man, but fails. The police officers attempt to bring the man to the ground, but he continues to stand in one place and asks, 'Why do I have to go to the ground?' One of the officers kicks the man several times in the groin area.

"The officers finally have the man's hands behind his back, and he says, 'I just asked you what you were doing to that little kid.' The 'little kid' could be in reference to ... 12-year-old Rayan Sanoubar, who was instructed by police to stop skateboarding at the same park. 'A peace officer came sat in this car and got out and… told skateboarders we have to go and [were] not allowed to be there and we all refused and he called for backup for other police to come,' Sanoubar told the Global News.

"'They had him on the ground for six minutes, just frozen, cutting his skates off with a knife,' Sanoubar said. 'They arrested him and threatened us saying: "We are going to give you tickets if you don't walk away."'

"Authorities said a 21-year-old was charged with obstructing an officer, resisting arrest, and violating the public health act.... The young man being arrested is allegedly 21-year-old Ocean Wiesblatt, according to Rebel News founder Ezra Levant. Ocean Wiesblatt plays for the Portage Terriers, a Canadian junior "A" ice hockey team. Wiesblatt comes from a family of hockey players; his three brothers, including Orca Wiesblatt, play junior hockey. Another brother, Ozzy Wiesblatt, is an NHL prospect who was drafted in the first round of the 2020 draft by the San Jose Sharks in October. The Wiesblatt brothers and their mother, who is deaf, were featured in a SportsNet video last December, where the family from Calgary talked about how hockey helped them to overcome adversity.

Read more: https://www.theblaze.com/news/hockey-player-arrested-calgary-canada

Globe and Mail on Bernier's 'darker vision'

Maxime Bernier goes to a dark place - The Globe and Mail - Jeffrey Ibbitson:

November 12, 2018 - "In a speech on Saturday at a conference hosted by the right-wing Rebel Media in Calgary, the leader of the new People’s Party of Canada questioned the science of climate change, pilloried the United Nations and insisted immigrants to Canada must embrace 'Western civilization values'....'

"The party, which the Beauce, Que., MP founded in September after deciding Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives had become too centrist, is making good progress.... Mr. Bernier claims to already have signed up 33,000 supporters with PPC riding associations organizing across the country.

"In some ways, Mr. Bernier is simply a Conservative in a hurry, with his proposals to lower taxes, eliminate corporate subsidies, deregulate the telecom sector, cut funding to the CBC and privatize Canada Post. But in front of a friendly crowd, his vision grows darker.

"First, he pledged, 'I am the only politician in Ottawa who promises to take Canada out of the Paris accord' to fight global warming.... Climate-change deniers will feel very much at home in the People’s Party.

"Second, Mr. Bernier is committed to 'abolishing foreign aid and saving the $5-billion that we spend every year to help Canadians instead'.... Even Mr. Trump hasn’t proposed completely eliminating foreign aid, although he would doubtless warm to the idea if he thought he could get away with it.

"Third, and darkest, 'our immigration policy should not aim to forcibly change the cultural character and social fabric of our country,' he told the audience. Immigration levels should be reduced, and immigrants must 'adopt widely shared Canadian values, Western civilization values,' he maintained.

“'On issues such as immigration, multiculturalism, diversity, [the Conservatives] are simply not willing to push back against the dominant left-wing narrative,' Mr. Bernier declared, 'and they are afraid to create controversies. I’m not afraid.'

"And if there were any doubt about the buttons Mr. Bernier intends to push in the months ahead, on Sunday, he tweeted a video of crowds in Pakistan protesting the release of Asia Bibi, a Christian who had been convicted of blasphemy. 'Radical multiculturalism is the misguided belief that all values and cultures can coexist in one society,' he tweeted. 'They cannot. We must protect our society against this kind of barbarism.'”

"No credible voice in this country seeks to undermine the values and beliefs embedded in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and in the fabric of Canadian society. Immigrants and refugees come here in search of a future protected by those values and beliefs. Mr. Bernier is simply stoking irrational fears of a threat that does not exist. It is pure Trumpism."

Read more: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-maxime-bernier-goes-to-a-dark-place/
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Lauren Southern barred from entering UK

Alt-Right Media Personalities Denied Entry to U.K. - Tom Porter, Newsweek:

March 12, 2018 - "Three prominent activists with the so-called alt-right have been denied entry to the United Kingdom.

"U.S. activist Brittany Pettibone, who hosts a nationalist podcast, was prevented from entering the country alongside Austrian far-right leader Martin Sellner on Friday. Canadian YouTube blogger Lauren Southern was denied entry Monday.

“'Border Force has the power to refuse entry to an individual if it is considered that his or her presence in the U.K. is not conducive to the public good,' a Home Office spokeswoman said in an emailed statement to Newsweek....

"Southern was refused entry to the U.K at Coquelles, France, where the Channel Tunnel joins the European mainland with the British Isles....

"Southern said that she was prevented from entering Britain after displaying provocative anti-Islam posters in the English city of Luton. Luton Today reported that on February 24, Southern was photographed outside a burger restaurant in the town center displaying posters that stated, 'Allah is gay'....

"Southern’s YouTube channel has 400,000 subscribers and features 'anti-feminist, xenophobic, Islamophobic diatribes [that] tiptoe at the precipice of outright white nationalism,' according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

"She ran as a Libertarian candidate for the Canadian Parliament and is a former journalist for Canadian alt-right media website The Rebel. Robinson has also filmed stunts for the site. She has denied being affiliated with the alt-right.

"Southern tweeted she was 'officially banned from U.K. for "racism"’ but was doing fine. She added that “all the cool people are being banned anyway.”

"In August 2017, Southern and Pettibone took part in the Defend Europe mission led by Sellner, in which activists hired a boat to prevent refugees crossing the Mediterranean to Europe."

Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/us-blogger-among-three-alt-right-activists-denied-entry-uk-840782
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Rebel Media founder repudiates the alt.right

Ezra Levant’s staff memo on the alt-right - The Rebel:

August 22, 2017 - "When I first heard of the alt-right a year ago, I thought it simply meant the insurgent right, the politically incorrect right, the grassroots right, the nationalistic right, the right that was a counterweight to the establishment of the GOP, the right that backed Trump and his 'Make America Great Again' style over Jeb Bush and the swamp. It was unashamed right-wingedness, with a sense of humour.

"Prominent alt-right personalities back then included the outrageous but loveable Milo Yiannopoulos, who just happened to be a half-Jewish gay man who preferred black men. I remember when Hillary Clinton made her bizarre campaign speech attacking the alt-right, and it sounded no different than any of her other 'deplorables' insults, so that made me even more interested.

"But the alt-right has changed into something new, especially since Trump’s election. Now the leading figure — at least in terms of media attention — is Richard Spencer, and other white nationalists. By that, I mean people whose central organizing political principle is race.

"And that’s the starting point; there are also white supremacists, and even some neo-Nazis. There were actually some Nazi swastika flags in Charlottesville. Whether or not they were being genuinely carried, or carried by agents provocateurs trying to embarrass the alt-right isn’t even important. They were there — and Spencer’s torch-lit walk had other Nazi symbology, including the 'Sieg Heil' arm salute, and the chant of 'blood and soil'  —  which was a slogan popularized by the Nazis.

"Sorry, that’s not conservative, that's just racist, and I think it’s unpatriotic to mimic one of America’s greatest historical enemies. Spencer released an explicitly racist manifesto in Charlottesville. If pressed, Spencer positively admits he is not conservative; he does not believe in individualism; he is a communalist, an economic socialist, but most importantly, someone who believes your race is your key characteristic.

"We disagree. We believe that character and ideas and actions are more important than skin colour, or for that matter sex or sexual orientation. You can be a smart, thoughtful conservative who is black, gay, Jewish, whatever — and you can be a foolish, unethical, violent Communist who is white. In fact, there are quite a lot of them.

"We will still report on what the alt-right says and does, and we will surely report more accurately than the mainstream media does. We can stand up for their freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, and oppose censorship — like the ACLU courageously did in Charlottesville. We can stand up for the rule of law, especially when police seem to stand down to allow Antifa leftists do violence as they did in Charlottesville and Berkeley and other places.

"And of course we can point out the differences with which extremist black, gay, Muslim or feminist identity politics are treated by the establishment, as opposed to how white identity politics are treated....

"We are not alt-right. That term now effectively means racism, anti-Semitism and tolerance of neo-Nazism."

Read more: https://www.therebel.media/ezra_levant_s_staff_memo_on_the_alt_right
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Tim Moen reinstates Southern as LPC candidate

The Future is Bright for Liberty - Dan Dicks, Press for Truth:

July 8, 2015 - "On July 3rd 2015 I interviewed Lauren Southern of The Rebel Media to get her views on being removed as a candidate of the Libertarian Party in response to her viral slut walk video. After hearing from Lauren that Tim was 'very supportive, he said he thought that it was a non issue and he congratulated me' ...  I suggested to Tim that he come visit the PFT studio and meet with me and Lauren to clear the air. Tim ended up doing just that and today PFT is proud to announce that a mutual agreement that works for all sides has been reached."

Statement from Tim:
Lauren Southern and I met face to face last night to see if we could reconcile. In this conversation I was able to confirm Lauren's commitment to the party and our team and I was able to affirm my commitment to Lauren's freedom of speech. I am happy to announce that Lauren's suspension has been lifted and she has been reinstated as a candidate. This reconciliation has been an ongoing process that has been difficult due to inflammatory media and social media. I apologize to people who have been hurt or let down in this incident, particularly those volunteers who have received unfair criticism and characterization in the media. Going forward I will be working hard to fix the issues that could have prevented this incident: lines of communication and accountability will be clarified, candidates will be offered more training and support, we will strengthen our on-boarding process and I will be personally calling all candidates in the upcoming weeks. - Tim Moen

Statement from Lauren:
Yesterday Tim Moen and I had a productive conversation about the future of the Libertarian party and my part to play in it. We both agreed that what transpired over the past two weeks was bad for the party. I have been assured that Tim completely supports my freedom of speech and right to express it through mediums such as The Rebel and other social media platforms. I have also agreed to communicate better with the party and maintain a level of professionalism so the party can go forward as a team. Diversity of thought - protecting each individual's opinions, values, and expressions - is central to libertarianism. In a time of growing cultural and political intolerance, I look forward to promoting a libertarian party that stands up for this kind of diversity. I very much appreciate all of the support I have received, and I hope those of you who felt alienated from the party in recent days will regain some of your confidence in us. Canada needs a libertarian party, and Canada needs liberty. Tim Moen and I are going to stand up for it. I hope you stand with us. - Lauren Southern

Read more: http://pressfortruth.ca/top-stories/future-bright-liberty/
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LP of Canada suspends candidate Lauren Southern

Canadian Libertarians in Revolt After Party Leadership Suspends Anti-Feminist Candidate Lauren Southern - Breitbart - Allum Bokhari:

July 2, 2015 - "The Libertarian Party of Canada is in turmoil following the bizarre suspension of Lauren Southern, one of the party’s most visible and popular candidates, at the behest of a small group of aggrieved feminist activists....

"Southern, a libertarian activist and commentator for The Rebel Media, rose to global prominence last month when a video emerged of her challenging feminist campaigners at a 'Slutwalk' demonstration in Vancouver.

"The footage showed her holding up a sign proclaiming 'there is no rape culture in the west' and telling feminists at the protest that far from being protected, rapists in western countries tended to be prosecuted and jailed.

"[Some] activists responded furiously, calling Southern a 'bitch,' physically assaulting her and her cameraman, and ripping up her placard. She later faced a campaign of online slander which she was forced to respond to on her YouTube channel. Feminists then began to email the Libertarian Party, asking them to suspend Southern as a candidate.

"But Southern’s lone-soldier activism struck a chord. The initial video of her challenge to feminist protesters was watched over 750,000 times.... Feminist scholar Christina Hoff Sommers applauded Southern’s activism, calling her a 'fabulous young woman.' Freddy Gray, deputy editor of The Spectator, said she should be 'given a medal' for her efforts.... 'We need more women like Southern,' wrote Ella Whelan, a writer for the British libertarian magazine Spiked Online. 'Lauren Southern – 2, Feminists – 0,' concluded Laura Meyers of the website Libertarian Republic....

"I asked party leader Tim Moen to explain his reasons for suspending Southern.... According to Moen, Southern’s actions had 'broken message discipline' and undermined the party’s efforts to 'connect hearts and minds to the message of liberty and achieve a tipping point of 10% of the population adopting an unshakable belief in Liberty'....

"According to sources within the party, the new 'hearts and minds' ... strategy is championed by Rehan Basson, the Party President, Mark Burnison, Vice President for Political Action, and David Clement, Vice President for Communication.... As footage of Southern’s protest at the Vancouver Slutwalk began to spread, these three began lobbying Tim Moen to remove her as a candidate. Basson in particular is said to 'hate' Southern for her criticism of feminist narratives and pressed for her removal as a candidate as soon as she saw the video."

Read more: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/07/02/canadian-libertarians-in-revolt-after-party-leadership-suspends-anti-feminist-candidate-lauren-southern/
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