Rebel News sues RCMP, alleging pattern of 'intimidation and exclusion'
Rebel News and one of its media personalities, David Menzies, are taking the RCMP to court, accusing the federal police force of engaging "in a pattern of intimidation and exclu‐ sion."
The lawsuit, which is also directed at the York Regional Police and the Attorney Gen‐ eral of Canada, stems from Menzies's high-profile arrest in January.
In a video posted by Rebel News, Menzies is seen trying to ask Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland questions in Richmond Hill, Ont., about the government's decision to leave the Islamic Revolution‐ ary Guard Corps (IRGC) off the designated terrorist en‐ tity list.
Freeland and Menzies were both attending an event to mark the destruction of Flight PS752, the Ukrainian International Airlines jetliner that was destroyed by the Iranian military in January 2020. All 176 people onboard died, including 55 Canadians and 30 permanent residents.
In the video, a plain‐ clothes RCMP officer appears to step into Menzies' path while he's carrying a mi‐ crophone.
The officer subsequently grabs Menzies by his lapels, pushes him against a wall and accuses him of assault while putting him under ar‐ rest.
"Police - you're under ar‐ rest for assault. You pushed into me, sir," the unidentified officer is heard saying.
"I didn't touch a single person," Menzies says in re‐ sponse.
Rebel and Menzies allege the officer, whom they refer to as John Doe 1, "positioned himself to ensure physical contact with Mr. Menzies and to ensure that Mr. Menzies would have no option but to suffer physical contact."
The statement of claim, shared by lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, alleges another officer, John Doe 2, told Men‐ zies he was "very aggressive" and "running in with his mi‐ crophone very aggressive."
Rebel and Menzies go on to allege the officer "engaged in theatre."
"There were no reason‐ able and probable grounds for an arrest," says the court document.
Claim alleges Charter vi‐ olations
According to the state‐ ment of claim, York police drove Menzies to an empty parking lot several blocks from the event venue and told him he was not being charged. The claim says he was then told that, according to the terms of the Trespass to Property Act, he would not be allowed to return to the venue.
The statement of claim said that prevented Menzies from doing his job and talk‐ ing to attendees.
The document also al‐ leges RCMP officers as‐ saulted Menzies in 2020 when he tried to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a question about the govern‐ ment's response to COVID19, and shot another Rebel
News personality with a riotsuppressing gun during the 2022 convoy protest in Ot‐ tawa.
WATCH | Rebel News personality arrested while trying to question Freeland
Rebel News has taken the RCMP to court separately in both of those matters and is asking for donations to cover its legal costs.
"RCMP have over the last few years engaged in a pat‐ tern of intimidation and ex‐ clusion against Rebel News journalists, including Mr. Menzies," the most recent lawsuit claims.
Rebel and Menzies also al‐ lege multiple Charter rights were violated, including the right to freedom of expres‐ sion and freedom from arbi‐ trary detention.
The claims have not yet been proven in court.
York Regional Police said Menzies was released uncon‐ ditionally after it was deter‐ mined there was no credible security threat.
After the incident made news, the RCMP said it was "looking into the incident" and the actions of everyone involved.
"The RCMP does not com‐ ment on ongoing legal pro‐ ceedings," said RCMP spokesperson Robin Percival.
When questioned about the incident, Freeland said politicians have no say in op‐ erational decisions made by police.