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Canadians outraged after Rebel News reporter arrested while asking Deputy PM Freeland questions

Both Conservative leader Pierre Poilivere and People's Party leader Maxime Bernier took to social media to condemn the dubiously legal arrest of Rebel News reporter David Menzies, who was ultimately released by police without charge.
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Reported RCMP officer (left) explaining to Rebel News reporter David Menzies (right) that he is under arrestRebel News / YouTube

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Anthony Murdoch
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Tell Canadian leaders to fire officer who unjustly arrested reporter

RICHMOND HILL, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) –– Outrage has exploded on social media this week following the aggressive arrest of Rebel News reporter David Menzies on Monday night, video footage of which seems to show the Canadian reporter being falsely accused of “assault” by a police officer and then immediately apprehended while he was attempting to ask Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland questions on a public street. 

In a video recorded and published Monday that has since gone viral online with close to 10 million views, Menzies can be seen walking beside Freeland on a street in the Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill, Ontario, while attempting to ask her questions about Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and why the group has not been given a terrorist designation by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, of which she is second in command. Seconds later, the video footage appears to show a plainclothes police officer, who is said to be a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), positioning his body directly in Menzies’ footpath, effectively forcing physical contact between himself and the reporter.

After the two lightly bump into each other, contact which the video seems to indicate was initiated by the officer and not Menzies, the officer begins to arrest Menzies in a rather aggressive manner while accusing the reporter of physically assaulting a police officer. Menzies, visibly shocked at the series of events, was then taken away by members of the York Regional Police, the local force operating in Richmond Hill.  

“Welcome to Canada,” Menzies said in the video while being arrested. “This is what they do to journalists. I was merely trying to scrum Minister Freeland and the RCMP officer blocked me, and evidently this is a trumped-up charge of assault, folks. I came here to do my job and now I’m handcuffed.” 

Menzies was later released by police officers with no charges laid. He said that he had asked cops for their badge numbers, but they did not provide this information to him. This claim also appears to be backed up by the video, in which viewers can hear and see Menzies repeatedly ask for the name and badge number of the initial arresting officer.   

Andrew Lawton of True North news, who also serves as the president of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada, noted how early on in the video the police officer can be seen standing in the path of Menzies as he is walking alongside Freeland.  

“At 0:09, you can see a police officer standing where he knows David Menzies is walking. You can see Menzies pivot away from the pole and officer, who then puts out an arm to stop him,” noted Lawton on X (formerly Twitter).  

“Same officer arrests Menzies for assaulting a police officer. This is an egregious overreach.” 

Menzies was in Richmond Hill to cover a memorial service to commemorate the 176 lives lost on Flight PS752. The event hosted countless high-ranking Liberal Party members, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is responsible for shooting down the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, as it left Tehran, Iran, to go to Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 8, 2020. On board were 55 Canadian citizens as well as 30 Canadian permanent residents.  

Menzies was attempting to ask Freeland questions while she was walking on the street as to why the Liberal government under Trudeau has not labeled as a terrorist entity Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

LifeSiteNews has reached out to Menzies for comment, but as of press time has yet to receive a reply.

Pirre Poilievre, Maxime Bernier and Elon Musk chime in

Menzies arrest was immediately condemned by many, including prominent Canadian politicians. Even Tesla billionaire Elon Musk chimed in with his thoughts on the incident as the video circulated online. 

Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre reposted Rebel News’s original video post of Menzies arrest, adding in his own words,“This is the state of freedom of the press. In Canada. In 2024. After 8 years of Trudeau.” 

After writer Katherine Brodsky reposted the Menzies arrest to social media, asking, “I have to be honest, I’m not a fan of this reporter or his tactics, but if you watch the video… he really was falsely arrested on a trumped up charge of ‘assaulting an officer.’ Or am I missing something?” X owner Elon Musk chimed in with his own thoughts, “Sure looks that way. Fine for the officer to body block someone trying to get close to a senior government official, but false to say that he deliberately assaulted an officer.”

Leader of the People’s Party of Canada Maxime Bernier likewise blasted Menzies arrest, saying Trudeau’s Canada is not unlike George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984.

“In Liberal Canada, government brownshirts provoke fake incidents to arrest independent journalists asking questions to ministers. They use fake emergencies to violently crush peaceful demonstrations against their tyrannical mandates,” wrote Bernier on X.

“Remember, the word liberal comes from liber, which means free in Latin. It used to describe a pro-freedom philosophy. But just as the fake Conservatives are not conservative, the fake Liberals aren’t liberal. We live in 1984.” 

Bernier also warned that soon Canadians could possibly be arrested if “you refuse to transition your confused child, or reject their racist DEI policies, or produce too much CO2.”  

Rebel News to sue Freeland and RCMP for ‘thug’ arrest  

Rebel News head and founder Ezra Levant put the blame on Trudeau’s “thugs” for Menzies arrest. He reposted a 2020 message by Trudeau in which he promoted the Global Conference for Media Freedom.  

“Your thugs just assaulted and arrested our reporter, David Menzies,” wrote Levant Tuesday on X.

“While the co-chair of this very media freedom conference, Chrystia Freeland, smirked and walked by.” 

Levant, in another posting today, noted how the Rebel News team has met with their lawyer, and plans to sue the RCMP, York Regional Police, and Freeland for false arrest.  

Tell Canadian leaders to fire officer who unjustly arrested reporter

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