Irony alert. A candidate for elected office had their press conference delayed so the police could arrive and then remove a credentialed reporter who would ask questions about her party’s plans to defund … the police.
A video posted by the Counter Signal shows [Independent Canadian journalist Keean] Bexte telling an NDP staffer that he wanted to ask Notley why “a half dozen of her candidates have supported anti-police rhetoric, including actively defunding the police.”
“They’ve supported it and in practice done it. And now that the new Janet Brown poll is coming out, saying that over 50% of Albertans are supporting Danielle Smith. Does she think it’s time to discipline these candidates or re-tweak the anti-police message?” he added.
The press conference was delayed for a time to ensure it did not start until the police came.
The reporter says he was charged with trespassing. He’s a credentialed reporter at a press conference. Trespassing? And I get this is Canada and not the US, but this is common practice for tyrants, and those aspiring to the title are taking notes.
He wasn’t ignored, asked to leave, or shown the door. He was arrested and charged. Does she know Gov, Chris Sununu?
And the irony is rich and deep. If Notley gets elected, and her party has whatever passes for a majority in the provincial government, and they defund the police, who will they call to remove pesky reporters, then? Grief Counselors. Gender therapists. Armed agents from the Ministry of Truth? Party mercenaries?
Don’t laugh. Canada has been trampling whatever passes for speech and press rights in The Great Dominion for decades. Just ask Mark Stein about that. Commissions police speech as a matter of public safety, so calling the coppers to escort the wearer of inconvenient questions before any are asked isn’t a stretch. And I’m no pro, but next time don’t tell the party stooge you intend to throw a rhetorical curve ball at the head of the New Democrat Party.
Or are you required to tell them beforehand? That’s what they do in the US when there’s a Democrat at the podium (new or otherwise). Here are the questions and the answers – welcome to our open and transparent democracy.
The one where the government spies on the Press and taps their phones, and still, they defend the deep state.
And before anyone asks, the cover story for this “rescue mission” is that the press conference was at a private venue, and the owner asked him to leave. When he refused, they called the police to remove the reporter for trespass. But wait, there’s more.
Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley had security drag at least two reporters out of her Monday afternoon press conference after days of criticizing Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for limiting reporters to one question per media availability.
This April 17th report claims Notley had two reporters removed after at least one member of her party accused Smith of running away from questions about “the chaos and corruption in her government.”
I don’t know Smith from Notley, but I know free Press and free speech. Canada doesn’t protect either, not seriously. And at least one of these candidates is not having “reporters” removed in handcuffs and cited for trespassing, whether on private property or not.
If all it takes to avoid inconvenient questions is to hold all the events at which you will take questions from the Press on private property, what’s to stop them from doing that?
Or they could do what Joe Biden does when he “does” press conferences (which is rare) and pick the reporters whose questions he has been given in advance (with answers) to put on a show for the people – and that’s not a new tactic from the Old Democrats in America.
HT | Lifesite News