One of the most polarizing figures to gain notoriety during what became known as the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa more than two years ago will stand trial Monday, signalling the tail end of criminal proceedings that have dogged hundreds of individuals who participated in the historic protest.
Pat King, from Red Deer, Alta., is facing charges of mischief, intimidation, obstructing police, disobeying a court order and other offences for his role in the protest that gridlocked downtown for nearly a month in early 2022.
Arrested and jailed for five months before his release that summer, King is unlikely to serve more time behind bars if he is found guilty, given laws around credit from time served.
Like other prominent convoy leaders, King’s trial is expected to draw a sizeable crowd outside the Ottawa Courthouse.
You need not waste your empathy with this guy because there’s ample precedence already, including earlier rulings for other members of the Convoy. His sentencing even on maximum penalty would change nothing on the already precarious position of righteous civil disobedience for reasonable causes.