It was the second week of what I am calling the Freedom Trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, two peaceful protesters who came to Ottawa during the Freedom Convoy demonstration of January to February 2022. This prosecution and persecution of course is not just about Lich and Barber—it’s about the whole Freedom Convoy and everyone who dared to support it. Especially those who had their bank accounts frozen by the government for doing so.

The trial has recessed for the week and will resume on Monday, Sept. 18. Day 8 on Thursday began to get interesting as the defence was permitted to ask questions of the prosecution’s witness, Sgt. Joanne Pilotte of the Ottawa Police Service.

But as this theatre of the absurd continues, is there some larger purpose for this trial beyond the potential vindication of a protest that sought to restore individual liberty to Canadians by targeting authoritarian COVID-19 mandates?

Yes, it’s a reminder that those mandates, those mindless lockdowns, that dangerous masking, those still unproven vaccinations might be coming back. And Big Brother is already warning you that these unnecessary and punitive measures are on the horizon.