Convoy protest figure Pat King released from jail after alleged bail breach

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A ringleader of the 2022 convoy protest in Ottawa has been released from jail, but with a judge laying down strict restrictions on his social-media activity.

Pat King was back behind bars as of last week after being charged for violating the terms of his bail, but Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland consented to his release on Friday.

King, from Red Deer, Alta., is accused of breaching the terms of his bail release between July 10 and 29, with the Crown alleging he was posting on social media, which he was only permitted to do if he was seeking donations to cover his legal fees. He was on bail after pleading not guilty to mischief, intimidation and other charges for his role in the 2022 convoy protest that resulted in hundreds of trucks and thousands of protesters causing gridlock in downtown Ottawa for more than three weeks.

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Previously, King’s bail conditions said he could post on social media, auction off items, give interviews on podcasts or send messages via social media, but only to fundraise to pay his legal fees. His bank account has been frozen since February 2022.

Now, King is “to abstain absolutely from accessing social media in all forms,” with the exception that he is allowed to ask for donations or to auction off “non-convoy-related items,” such as artwork, but give “no other commentary.” Nobody is allowed to post on social media on King’s behalf or to indicate a message is coming from him in any way.

King is also not allowed to participate in public protests or demonstrations.

He’s also under a weapons ban and not allowed to communicate with other prominent convoy protest personalities, including Tamara Lich and Chris Barber. He’s not allowed to be in Ottawa except to attend court or to visit his lawyer’s office unless he’s escorted by his lawyer or her staff.

King’s lawyer, Natasha Calvinho, and Crown attorney Moiz Karimjee jointly submitted the conditions of King’s bail, which the judge agreed to, calling it “a reasonable, balanced approach that protects the public’s interest, but allows the accused to do the necessary fundraising.”

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The Crown is seeking seizure of the $25,000 cash deposit that was put up for King’s initial bail.

A small group of King’s followers gathered at the Ottawa courthouse on Friday to show support during his bail hearing. From the prisoner’s box inside the courtroom, King gestured to members of the media while making an “L” with his finger. He was smiling as he left the courthouse, greeted by his girlfriend and supporters.

King’s new bail conditions come with new sureties, or people who promise to supervise King and make sure he follows bail conditions. A previous surety asked to be revoked from the position shortly after arguments in King’s criminal trial concluded, telling the Crown they were scared of retaliation from King and his supporters.

The charges against King have not been proven in court. A decision in his criminal trial is expected in October.

The Crown argued King co-ordinated the honking of horns from big rigs across Ottawa’s downtown core and ordered drivers to sound those horns for 10 minutes at a time every 30 minutes.

He also told people to “hold the line,” when he allegedly knew police and the City of Ottawa wanted protesters gone, Loignon-Giroux said in her closing arguments.

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She pointed to one instance where King helped move 80 trucks to block a major downtown street by “turning it into a three-lane parking lot.” He encouraged social-media followers to help gridlock the city and led a convoy of trucks that rolled slowly down a highway and around the Ottawa airport to grind traffic to a near halt, she said.

“We all have as Canadian citizens the right of freedom of expression and assembly. Those rights are given to us through the Charter, and they’re extremely important, but, as I mentioned, they’re not without limitations, not without limit,” Loignon-Giroux said.

Calvinho is asking the court to dismiss the charges against King and has blamed police, city officials and other protesters for allowing tensions to escalate during the 2022 protest.

Calvinho argued King was a peaceful protester and was not in any way a “leader.”

“They did have the right to be downtown and peacefully protest,” Calvinho told the court during closing arguments.

With files from The Canadian Press

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