A Canadian reporter with one of the northern country’s only conservative media organizations was arrested and taken away Sunday for faithfully carrying out his duties on public land.
Rebel News reporter David Menzies, who local and federal authorities apparently want to silence and lock up, faces charges of breach of peace and trespassing for daring to question anti-Israel protesters outside Toronto City Hall He confirmed this to Blaze News. .
Menzies has indicated he plans to sue Toronto police over the incident, just as he sued the Royal Canadian Mounted Police over a similar violent arrest earlier this year.
background
thousands of The event centered around demands for the release of the remaining Israeli prisoners of war who have suffered at the hands of Islamic terrorists since Hamas carried out an unprovoked attack on October 7. ” was the number of people who gathered in front of Toronto City Hall on Sunday. Jewish state.
picture Video from the event in front of Toronto City Hall showed a peaceful crowd waving Canadian and Israeli flags in Nathan Phillips Square, and various speakers took to the stage, including Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poièvre. .
Poièvre, a member of parliament who is trying to give Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a landslide victory in the 2025 federal election.
called “The friends of humanity – Jews, Gentiles, people of all backgrounds, Canadians, all people of decency – are the murderous, genocidal people who must be destroyed in order to free the hostages and hostages. Stand up to the deadly cult of Hamas and restore peace to all. ”
Anti-Israel demonstrators flocked to the scene, apparently to counter the anti-terrorism sentiment expressed by Poièvre and others.
Menzies told Blaze News that he ventured out “as a public square journalist doing public service journalism to find out why these people were trying to destroy this event.”
“Incredibly, there was a protest by dozens of pro-Hamas protesters, which was particularly bad. To me, this was like crashing a funeral,” Menzies told Blaze News. “They are spouting rhetoric, including calls for genocide, such as ‘from river to sea’ and ‘intifada.’
Footage shows a crowd of anti-Israel demonstrators crowding Menzies as he holds a cellphone and microphone for an impromptu interview outside Toronto City Hall. The rioters pushed reporters against walls, shoved them with flagpoles and gave them sneak jabs. Other protesters can be seen holding flags and placards trying to block Menzies’ cameraman’s view.
Mr Menzies said police watched as protesters not only assaulted themselves, but also used illegal amplification devices to shout abuse, drowning out calls for the hostages to be released.
A masked Toronto police officer was finally seen swooping in, grabbing Menzies and pulling him away from the crowd.
Menzies tells the officer, “They can chant genocide in the streets, but I can’t cover it? Follow your oath. Officer, follow your oath.”
A TPS officer can be seen grabbing Menzies by the wrist and throwing the camera to the ground. Additional officers surrounded the reporter while officers handcuffed him and took him away in a cart.
The arresting officer announced that Menzies was under arrest for refusing to leave. [the] On the premises. ”
“This is a public place!” Menzies replies, clearly in disbelief. “This is literally a public square.”
The officer begins to explain his actions, but Menzies interrupts by saying, “They assaulted me and you did nothing.”
Police dragged Menzies into a van and ostensibly slammed his head against the back door before throwing him inside.
Later rebel news
shown Mr Menzies suffered cuts to his head after the officers “forcefully threw David into the back of a police truck, hitting his head on the roof. They also forced his shoulders back, aggravating the previous injuries.” It is said that he suffered a loss.
Menzies told Blaze News that he was eventually detained in the TPS 52 unit, a block away from the Art Gallery of Ontario, where “pro-Hamas” protesters gather “in the perverse and cynical department.”
close the reception between Prime Minister Trudeau and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The reporter found a certain dark humor in the idea that while he was sitting on hold for questions about public lands, the radicals “got away with shutting it down.”
Rebel News publisher Ezra Levant, speaking to Menzies hours after his release, said police did not go after the reporter because more effort was needed to deal with the actual aggressor. I guessed that.
“They got away with this coward saying, ‘If we try to arrest this group of Hamas hate demonstrators, they’ll get their hands on us. But we know Menzies won’t do that. . So let’s get rid of him,”’ Levant said.
“The bottom line is that right now in Toronto – and in other cities around the world and in Western democracies – law enforcement is now dealing with peace, not enforcement,” Menzies told Blaze News. “Keeping the peace means perverting the national order.” “Keeping the peace means arresting independent journalists for asking insensitive questions to rioters.” If so, that’s fine.”
A Canadian journalist suggested that this type of enforcement was encouraging rioters to become “increasingly bold” and that anti-Israel radicals who proudly demonstrated on Sunday were among those who were attacked by police horses last month. He pointed out that there was a woman who was allegedly stabbed with a spear, but she apparently avoided a prison sentence. .
Levant
was suggested TPS says it has a “personal vendetta” against Menzies.
After all, Menzies has been the target of repeated abuse while working for Rebel News, one of Canada’s few media organizations.
Not funded From the Trudeau government.
he was there
allegedly assaulted By Prime Minister Trudeau’s bodyguard in 2021. After questioning Trudeau’s deputy minister in January, he was assaulted by an RCMP officer and later taken away by York Regional Police.and arrested Last month, he was charged by Toronto police officers with questioning pro-Palestinian protesters near an event featuring Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
blaze news
previously reported The apparent antipathy toward conservative media is not limited to city officials. Prime Minister Trudeau and the Liberal Party was denied Level News Certification covering political discussions. accused A reporter who spread vaccine misinformation.and was suggested Amidst the strict lockdown imposed by the new coronavirus, polarization was increasing in Japan.
“This is Toronto police showing utter cowardice towards actual criminal organizations while abusing and punishing peaceful journalists,” the publisher writes. “We’ve had enough. Today we’re going to defend ourselves against false charges. But even if those charges are dismissed, we’re not done.”
Levant vowed to sue Toronto police, saying his goal was to “teach them that hitting Canadian journalists is not acceptable. This is Canada, not Gaza.”
Mr Menzies, who also filed a lawsuit last month over the Freeland incident, said he plans to use it as a “template” for two lawsuits against TPS: last month’s incident and Sunday’s arrest.
Blaze News reached out to Toronto Police and Pierre Poièvre for comment, but did not receive a response by deadline.
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