Ottawa resident tells convoy organizers’ trial he felt ‘threatened’ during protest

Ottawa resident Paul Jorgenson felt “threatened” during “Freedom Convoy” demonstrations in winter 2022, he said during his testimony at the criminal trial of two protest organizers on Tuesday. 

Five residents who have appeared as witnesses in the trial of Chris Barber and Tamara Lich described a scene of overwhelming noise from truck horns and engines, and the persistent smell of diesel fumes during the protest in their testimony. 

Jorgenson said that noise and odour emitted from idling vehicles caused him to be unable to work from his downtown home, so he left the city for more than a week. 

He said that trucks were blocking the entrance to his parking garage, so he needed to drive up onto the curb in order to leave. 

When he returned, he said, the protest was still underway and he had trouble accessing food from grocery stores and restaurants in the downtown area.

He said he felt “threatened” when a group of five or six people he identified as protesters questioned the fact he was wearing a mask while he was walking around outside with his partner.

Jorgenson said he later felt compelled to help counter-protesters block convoy-related traffic from passing by near the Canadian Museum of Nature, a short drive away from the main protest area.

It was “utterly terrifying” to block traffic for several hours, he said.

“I never reached (the same) level of desperation as I did that weekend.” 

Defence lawyers for the convoy organizers questioned Jorgenson on how many vehicles sat in front of the entrance to his parking garage. 

Jorgenson said the street by the parking garage was full of pickup trucks and smaller cars, and that he could not maneuver around them. 

Lawyers also questioned whether Jorgenson thought to visit several grocery or convenience stores that were outside of downtown but within walking distance of his home for food after he returned to Ottawa. 

He said he was aware of a Whole Foods grocery store nearby, but said he did not visit it because the weather was too cold to walk and he felt intimidated by protestors on the street. 

Barber and Lich are facing charges that include mischief and counselling others to commit mischief.

Crown prosecutors are trying to prove that the two influenced and encouraged protesters while fundraising for the demonstrations. 

Const. Isabelle Cyr, who served as a liaison between police and demonstrators during the protest, is expected to testify on Wednesday. 

She had been slated to take the stand on Tuesday, but defence lawyers said they needed time to review notes and emails between Cyr and her colleagues during the protests. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2023. 

Liam Fox, The Canadian Press

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