Freedom protests keep attracting crowd as City attempts to end them

Another ‘Café’ in Kelowna although this one’s ability to attract a crowd is not what the city is encouraging.

An organization calling itself CAFE – the Canadian Association of Free Expression - was at the forefront of the latest Saturday protest at Stuart Park, that came a week after the anniversary of the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa and a month after the city's legal move to end such gatherings.

Around a hundred people gathered for the regular affair with much of the messaging in response to recent court action initiated by the city to secure the legal right to stop the public disruption caused by these gatherings.

However, it’s clear many have no intention of backing off from what has become almost a weekly institution on the downtown waterfront, especially for the man at the centre of legal proceedings.

“How many people have heard the legal garbage coming out here?” protest organizer David Lindsay told the crowd surrounded by the usual array of flags, anti-vaccine banners, and those taking aim at BC premier David Eby and health minister Adrian Dix. As usual the media is also blamed for being a source of ‘fear, lies and propaganda.’

He called the pandemic “the greatest psychological fear campaign in history."

Lindsay has already told followers the city’s court move is attempting to declare the protests illegal with the threat of eviction by police.

He reminded protesters ahead of Saturday’s gathering that no court order had been made yet and no one would face legalities for attending. Regular attendees seemed to heed that call and were out in force.

One of the guest speakers, author Donald Lee, spoke on a common theme at these protests: that the pandemic and response by governments with social restrictions and mandates were a conspiracy.

“How can there have been a worldwide pandemic in 2020 when there were no excess deaths anywhere in the world in 2020, “ Lee said. “That’s impossible. It’s not a pandemic. It’s a lie.”

The City of Kelowna is asking the courts to intervene and stop ongoing anti-vaccine and anti-mandate protests over a swath of the downtown core.

The city argues the ongoing rallies violate several local bylaws and said has received numerous complaints from the public regarding the unlawful events.

The City is also seeking the ability to have police arrest and remove anyone who violates the order.

Meanwhile, Lindsay is set to stand trial in March on an assault charge tied to a confrontation during a protest at the Interior Health headquarters downtown Kelowna in August 2021.