HUGE WIN: Prosecutor throws out Toronto police charges against David Menzies Rebel News reporter David Menzies was arrested by Toronto police while trying to ask anti-Israel protesters questions in a public space. Moments ago, William Deck, an Ontario Crown prosecutor, told a Toronto justice of the peace that he will not pursue charges against David Menzies, dealing a stinging rebuke to the police who have been targeting him. Deck told the court there is “no reasonable prospect of conviction” — something the whole world could see from the very beginning. The charges in question were laid in March, when David was reporting on a violent pro-Hamas rally outside a Liberal Party fundraiser attended by Justin Trudeau. David was trying to interview the Hamas protesters and they assaulted him. But, bizarrely, police arrested David — it was as if the police were acting as the bodyguards for the Hamas protesters. The entire arrest was caught on video, including police trying to come up with a plausible excuse to arrest David for doing journalism. They finally settled on “obstruction” of police, claiming that David refused to show his ID. That was a laughable lie, as David was literally wearing his ID around his neck on a lanyard, and the officers even knew him by name. It was another embarrassing moment for Toronto’s police force, that has tolerated a crime wave of antisemitic violence. One of the arresting officers was the notorious “Officer Bubbles”, Adam Josephs, who made international headlines for arresting someone for blowing bubbles at a political protest, and then sued people for making cartoons about his anger issues. It’s shocking that Officer Bubbles is allowed back on the streets, but perhaps that was a reason prosecutors decided there was no chance of conviction. Today’s courtroom victory marks the second time this year that charges against David have been dropped — the first time was when Chrystia Freeland’s RCMP bodyguards stepped in David’s way when he was asking her questions, and then falsely claimed he assaulted them. Those charges were dropped almost immediately, as police realized their scheme was caught on video, too. This leaves one more false arrest for which David still faces legal persecution — when he attended a pro-Israel rally outside Toronto’s city hall and attempted to interview antisemitic gate-crashers shouting bigoted insults. Bizarrely, police claim David was “trespassing” — on public property. We’ll win that legal battle, too. But that’s the point — it’s a battle. Today’s court hearing was the third time in a few weeks that David has had to come to court, and that we’ve had to pay for a law firm. The process is the punishment, and none of the police involved have any price to pay for their misconduct. I watched David’s court for over an hour today. He had to sit and wait for a dozen other cases to proceed first. Every criminal lowlife in Toronto was in the same courtroom — and David was forced to go through that same process for the “crime” of journalism. I have promised David we’ll always be there for him, we’ll always cover his legal fees, and we’ll always fight for his freedom. Unfortunately, that’s expensive. If you can help us bear that burden, I’d be grateful. Because once we’ve managed to get the last charges against him thrown out, we plan to sue the police themselves for violating David’s rights as a reporter and a citizen. That’s the only way to get them to stop arresting David every time he attempts to do journalism that contradicts the Liberal Party politics. We’ve got to fight Toronto’s two-tiered policing.
