The Democracy Fund (TDF) has been working hard to represent numerous clients charged for various levels of participation in the freedom convoys that occurred in 2022 across Canada.

In those cases that have had their day in court so far, TDF has been successful in absolving these individuals of criminal charges they have had levied against them.

In one such case, Eric Lemmon, charged with mischief and disobeying a court order for allegedly blocking traffic on the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, saw his charges dismissed when it was determined by Crown prosecutors that “there was no reasonable prospect of conviction”.

In Eric’s case, video evidence provided by the defense showed Eric’s position in the moments before his arrest on the sidewalk of the bridge.

Lawyer Alan Honner explains, “That video showed the seconds leading up to his arrest,” “it showed him at all times to be on the sidewalk.”

“The issue here was that he was charged with mischief but specifically with obstructing traffic, vehicular traffic to the Ambassador Bridge, and you can’t do that if [you’re] on the sidewalk,” “And so the Crown attorney really did the right thing in this case. They looked at the evidence and they said there’s no reasonable prospect of conviction.”

We applaud TDF’s legal team in their efforts to support Eric and their other clients, knowing these cases will in turn support the many Canadians wrongly accused of criminal offences for exercising their rights to assemble and protest, and their right to free speech, freedom of religion and security of the person. It takes time to undo the damage done but we stand strong because the laws are on our side.

However, one question remains: if Eric was clearly positioned on the sidewalk, why was he charged in the first place?