Incident Sparks Controversy and Potential Legal Action Against Police
Rebel News personality David Menzies was arrested on Monday, accused of assaulting a police officer while attempting to question Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. The incident unfolded during an event commemorating the destruction of Flight PS752, a Ukrainian International Airlines jetliner that was downed by the Iranian military in January 2020.
The altercation, captured in a video posted on Rebel News’ website, shows Menzies colliding with a police officer in a suburban strip mall parking lot in Richmond Hill, Ont. Menzies was reportedly seeking answers about the Canadian government’s decision to exclude the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the designated terrorist entity list.
The video suggests an officer stepped into Menzies’ path, leading to a confrontation. The officer accused Menzies of assault, grabbed him by the lapels, pushed him against a wall, and placed him under arrest. Menzies vehemently denied the charges, calling them a “trumped-up charge of assault” and expressing frustration at being handcuffed.
During the arrest, Menzies made an apparent reference to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accusing the situation of being influenced by “the gestapo taking blackface’s orders,” referring to Trudeau’s attendance at the event. Menzies asked for the officer’s name and badge number, but the responses, if provided, are not audible in the video.
The officer involved was later identified as a member of the RCMP protective detail by a York Regional Police spokesperson. However, it was determined that no credible security threat existed, and Menzies was released unconditionally shortly thereafter.
Rebel News founder Ezra Levant, reached by email, revealed that legal action against the police is being considered. Levant stated, “We have not yet finalized our legal strategy, but at this point, I would expect that we will sue both the RCMP and the York Regional Police, as well as Chrystia Freeland, for false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and assault.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre condemned the arrest, emphasizing the incident’s implications for freedom of the press in Canada. Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu, the party’s civil liberties critic, called for the House of Commons heritage committee to reconvene and investigate the matter, demanding transparency and accountability.
The RCMP, responsible for the arrest, is currently looking into the incident and the actions of all parties involved. Charges were dropped after authorities found no credible security threat. The controversy surrounding Menzies’ arrest adds to the ongoing tensions between the media and government officials in Canada.
