Canadian conservatives called out Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his comments demonizing the “Freedom Convoy” protests, after an individual plowed into several people at a demonstration in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Friday night.
Canadian pastor Tobias Tissen posted a video Saturday morning showing a white Jeep slamming into a demonstrator on the street, then rolling over the protestor and speeding away while other protestors attempt to chase the vehicle down. “At the end of the day yesterday in Winnipeg. A provocateur deliberately ran over a protester with his suv and injured 3 others,” Tissen tweeted. “He’s been apprehended. All Day long the crowd of protesters were peaceful, lots of smiles, hugs and laughter. Let’s pray for the injured and the driver.”
At the end of the day yesterday in Winnipeg. A provocateur deliberately ran over a protester with his suv and injured 3 others. He’s been apprehended. All Day long the crowd of protesters were peaceful, lots of smiles, hugs and laughter. Let’s pray for the injured and the driver. pic.twitter.com/KoJboNTIt5
— Tobias Tissen (@TissenTobias) February 5, 2022
Winnipeg Police said at a news conference Saturday that the suspect, a 42-year-old man from a nearby area, was arrested shortly afterward. The man hit four protestors outside the grounds of the Manitoba provincial legislature, then sped away from the scene, running several red lights, before a brief struggle with police prior to being arrested, police said.
Three of the victims sustained minor injuries that did not require them to be hospitalized, but one victim was hospitalized, though he was released shortly afterward. “It’s pretty miraculous that nobody sustained any serious injuries,” Winnipeg Police Constable Rob Carver told reporters. The man is facing a number of charges, including four counts of assault with a weapon, dangerous operation of a vehicle causing bodily harm, and failing to stop at the scene of an accident.
Canadian conservative media figures were swift to point out the correlation between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comments vilifying the “Freedom Convoy” currently taking place in Ottawa, the nation’s capital, and the actions of the driver.
“I don’t know what happened here but hey mainstream media in Winnipeg, this is an opportunity for you to find out what happened and inform us,” independent journalist Rupa Subramanya wrote on Twitter.
I don’t know what happened here but hey mainstream media in Winnipeg, this is an opportunity for you to find out what happened and inform us. https://t.co/TUwqYtgaN6
— Rupa Subramanya (@rupasubramanya) February 5, 2022
“A freedom protester was mowed down by an SUV late last night. Suspect has been arrested. Trudeau vilified these peaceful protests, and now this happens. Shocking,” journalist and host of the “Counter Signal” podcast Keean Bexte wrote.
VILE: A freedom protester was mowed down by an SUV late last night. Suspect has been arrested. Trudeau vilified these peaceful protests, and now this happens. Shocking. pic.twitter.com/G08LWmExV6
— Keean Bexte (@TheRealKeean) February 5, 2022
“@JustinTrudeau are you OK with this?” wrote Tissen, who himself was arrested and jailed for several days in 2020 for hosting a drive-in Church service during COVID-19 lockdowns in Canada. “A direct result of the prime ministers [sic] blacklisting an identifiable group of people. The ‘fringe minority’ that’s rising up all over Canada. Mr. Prime Minister you have to answer for this one as it’s your influence that caused this to happen.” The tweet also showed a photo of the suspect running over one of the victims.
@JustinTrudeau are you OK with this? A direct result of the prime ministers blacklisting an identifiable group of people. The “fringe minority” that’s rising up all over Canada.
Mr. Prime Minister you have to answer for this one as it’s your influence that caused this to happen pic.twitter.com/9nDVKLCIDT— Tobias Tissen (@TissenTobias) February 5, 2022
“So we have our first incident of violence at at trucker protest. And it’s an attack against the protesters. Did Justin Trudeau’s extremist rhetoric radicalize that terrorist?” Rebel News co-founder and publisher Ezra Levant tweeted.
So we have our first incident of violence at at trucker protest. And it’s an attack against the protesters. Did Justin Trudeau’s extremist rhetoric radicalize that terrorist? What responsibility does Trudeau’s CBC have, for claiming that the protests were organized by Putin? https://t.co/S4RM2e6PJH
— Ezra Levant 🍁 (@ezralevant) February 5, 2022
“[T]here is a direct line from Trudeau’s demonization and incitement of hatred, to this criminal act,” he added.
A Trudeau extremist rammed into the trucker protest in Manitoba. (Of course he’s wearing a mask.)
No-one was killed. But there is a direct line from Trudeau’s demonization and incitement of hatred, to this criminal act.
Trudeau is radicalizing his base — including the media. https://t.co/Yljp3biV9B
— Ezra Levant 🍁 (@ezralevant) February 5, 2022
Trudeau drew fierce backlash last week for vilifying the “Freedom Convoy” protests as a radical fringe minority shortly after the protests began. “The small, fringe minority of people who are on their way to Ottawa, who are holding unacceptable views that they are expressing, do not represent the views of Canadians who have been there for each other, who know that following the science and stepping up to protect each other is the best way to continue to ensure our freedoms, our rights, our values as a country,” Trudeau said at the time.