First they came for Chris Barber, and then the protestors did nothing. Then, they came for Tamara Lich, and they still did nothing. And now…
Sorry for ripping off Martin Niemoller, but those right wing assholes in Ottawa keep comparing themselves to some kind of freedom fighters against government tyranny, when in fact they are a bunch of anti-social numbskulls. But the good news is that police have arrested two of the three “ringleaders” of the right wing protestors in Ottawa: Chris Barber and Tamara Lich.
Two key organizers of the so-called Freedom Convoy, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, have been arrested in Ottawa, CBC News has learned.
Lich was arrested Thursday evening and Barber earlier in the day by Ottawa police. Both remain in police custody and are expected to be charged criminally, according to sources.
The two have been described as key leaders of the protest in Ottawa, which has now hit the three-week mark.
Their arrests were among several made Thursday. Barber was seen a few blocks from Parliament Hill in handcuffs between two police officers.
Lich confirmed to The Canadian Press earlier Thursday that she was there when Barber, a trucker from Saskatchewan, was arrested and led away.
Lich said she was resigned to the fact that she was going to jail, adding her personal bank account had been frozen.
And who are Chris Barber and Tamara Lich?
Chris Barber:
CHRIS BARBER: Chris Barber is a truck driver from Saskatchewan and one of the organizers of the convoy to Ottawa. Barber is active on social media, including TikTok, providing updates on the protest in Ottawa.
In one such update posted to TikTok, Barber refers to snipers' presence near the Parliament Hill protest, suggests that his "sources" tell him riot police are headed to Ottawa, and that the convoy may "go dark" after having their telecommunications blacked out.
"When our phones go dark, that means – I'm going to put my tin-foil hat on – they've deployed the 'no cell phone service' thing," he said in the video.
Snipers are often present at large protests on or near Parliament Hill, and while it is possible for police to trace phones used in downtown Ottawa, it is not possible for the government to black out the cell phones and internet of just those participating in the protest.
Barber calls the COVID-19 vaccine mandates "tyranny at its finest" and compares the policy to the strict government oversight of North Korea, even though some Canadian students in Ontario and New Brunswick have long been required to be immunized against other diseases including tetanus, polio, measles and chickenpox under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (though this is not required in other provinces).
Barber also said in a subsequent TikTok that he has Confederate flags hanging on his wall at home, calling it a "piece of cloth" and telling viewers to "get over it." The Confederate flag was used as a battle flag during the American civil war by those fighting on the side of the Confederates, who supported the continuation of slavery in the U.S.
Barber hates leftists and Trudeau. By the way, he is fully vaccinated, so he really was in Ottawa just to hurt Trudeau and the government. He also said that he had “empathy” for the locals, but he has urged all his followers to barricade themselves in the trucks and lay on the horns to make the police bash in the windows and get them.
Uh, Barber didn’t do any of that. He went peacefully in handcuffs. No barricading himself in his truck. No more blaring of his truck horns.
And it’s nice to see that America has not cornered the market on racism. The Confederate Flag just being a piece of cloth. It’s a symbol of insurrection and slavery. Motherfucking racist.
Tamara Lich:
TAMARA LICH: Tamara Lich is listed alongside BJ Dichter as one of the "official" spokespeople for the convoy in Ottawa and is one of the organizers of the fundraising page that raised more than $10 million for the convoy before it was removed by GoFundMe. Since then, Lich has said the protesters can receive funds through other means, including the Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo where the group had raised more than US$8.1 million by Feb. 10.
Lich, who claims Metis heritage, was initially a member of the Wildrose Party before moving to Manitoba and joining the Maverick Party, which says its goal is to represent the interests of Western Canada. On Feb. 2, a statement was posted on the Maverick Party accepting the resignation of Lich, “as she is committed to remaining in Ottawa until all restrictions are lifted.”
Lich is a secessionist who wants Alberta to join the U.S. She has also been accused of having anti-Muslim views. And she wants an end to all vaccine mandates.
Lovely people all in all.
They didn’t mention if Barber’s bank account is frozen, but I believe he doesn’t care. Or so he says. Somehow I think not having access to money will change his tune.
Barber, a trucker from Saskatchewan, told the court that he was no longer interested in orchestrating any blockades, despite being one of the primary leaders of the so-called “freedom convoy.”
“My organizing days are done. I just want to go home,” he said.
IF (and it is a BIG IF) Barber is sincere in that his organizing right wing protests, it’s amazing to see what an arrest and a frozen bank account can do to change a person’s attitude. I am not up on the law in either America or Canada, but some of the commenters have pointed out that it’s possible that Barber can lose his license to drive a truck or not be allowed to go to the U.S. If any of that is correct, Barber has really fucked himself up but good.