A Canadian judge denied bail on Friday to a prominent organizer of the three-week convoy protest against coronavirus measures in Ottawa.
Pat King was arrested on Feb. 18 and faces charges of mischief, counselling to commit mischief, counselling to commit the offence of disobeying a court order and counselling to obstruct police.
Justice of the Peace Andrew Seymour said he’s not satisfied that King, if released, wouldn’t commit offences similar to those he’s accused of.
The trucker protest grew until it closed a handful of Canada-U.S. border posts and shut down key parts of the capital for more than three weeks. But all border blockades have now ended and the streets around the Canadian Parliament are quiet.
Seymour said he also lacks confidence in King’s proposed surety, an Alberta woman who has known King for about four weeks.
King sat in the Ottawa courtroom wearing a camouflage jacket over a grey hoodie and matching sweatpants. King has been known to promote racist conspiracy theories online.
Other judges earlier denied bail to two other organizers behind protests against COVID-19 restrictions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Ottawa protesters who vowed never to give up are gone, chased away by police in riot gear in what was the biggest police operation in the nation’s history.
