An Alberta policeman disciplined for speaking at a Freedom Convoy rally has had his suspension without pay overturned. The punishment was “not justifiable,” ruled an Edmonton judge.

“While taking into account the higher standards placed by law on a police officer that can limit the officer’s freedom of expression compared to the freedom enjoyed by other citizens, we are left in my view with factual distinctions that could be drawn from the evidence,” wrote Justice James Nelson of Alberta Court of King’s Bench. “Facts and evidence” were garbled in justifying the suspension, he said.

Staff Sergeant Richard Abbott of the Edmonton Police Service, a watch commander, served 26 years with “no prior disciplinary misconduct.” He was suspended in 2022 after delivering a videotaped speech at a Freedom Convoy rally.