I must give credit where it's due! That girl had more patience than me to stay in the court room. This is from my court trial on November 2th!
Enjoy!!!
“The bottom line of this trial is freedom of speech!” claimed Charles LeBlanc after his first day in a Saint John courtroom. Although he is formally charged with obstruction, Mr. LeBlanc believes that this trial goes far beyond that. According to Mr. LeBlanc, this case will not only determine if he was obstructing a police officer at the “Reaching Atlantica” conference on June 9th, but will test the definition of journalism in the province.
The first day of the trial of Charles LeBlanc was held at Saint John City Hall on November 2nd and was attended by LeBlanc supporters, local media and members of the Saint John Police Force.
At the end of the day, the prosecution had presented 11 witnesses, none of whom produced any evidence directly concerning Mr. LeBlanc’s charge of obstruction.
The majority of testimony concerned the group of protestors who attempted to force their way into the Atlantica conference. According to witnesses, a group of approximately 20 masked protestors swarmed the doors of the Trade and Convention Centre, trying to force their way past members of the Saint John Police Force. The protesters were allegedly behaving very aggressively, chanting “Stop Atlantica!” and “You’re being watched!”
Many of the witnesses found the whole experience quite frightening.
Terri MacDonald Riedle, president of Revolution Strategy and event organizer, was outside the Trade and Convention Centre when things began to get rough.
Masked protestors began pushing the two police officers hired by the conference back towards the doors, shouting “We have a right to be here!” Many of the protesters were carrying digital cameras and video cameras, chanting “You’re being watched!”
Most of the staff retreated to the shelter of the registration area, located in the coat check kiosk, and closed the gate. As Ms. MacDonald Riedle placed a call to 911, the uproar continued.
She could hear police and protestors yelling and tables being pushed around. She estimated that the chaos continued for five minutes before the police regained control of the situation.
Harold Doherty, Mr. LeBlanc’s defence attorney, questioned Ms. MacDonald Riedle at length about the “Reaching Atlantica” media passes.
She stated that there were no specific qualifications required for a pass, but the applicant did have to be a member of the media. Ms. MacDonald Riedle claimed that invitations were sent out to all the major media outlets in the city; newspapers, radio and television stations.
Mr. Doherty made a point to remind her that all the newspapers in the province are owned by the Irvings.
When asked if she knew anything about Charles LeBlanc applying for a media pass, Ms. MacDonald Riedle stated that she did not.
The trial is set to resume on November 20th at 9:30 am.
Charles LeBlanc, who was just voted “Local hero for actions” in here magazine’s “Best of Fredericton” poll, claims that he was not involved with the protestors at all.
He was just chasing a scoop for his blog, and standing with the rest of the media representatives.
Mr. LeBlanc also claims that the members of the Saint John Police Force were overly aggressive towards him and deleted all his pictures. “If I lose this case, only Irving employees will be allowed to take pictures in the province of New Brunswick!” said Mr. LeBlanc. “
You’ll have to phone an Irving employee if you see anything newsworthy!
The Police could attack anyone on the street with a camera and delete their pictures. This could be the new law in Canada!”
Judge William McCarroll could rule on the obstruction charges as soon as November 20th, if the case is completed on that day.
However, an individual’s ability to take independent photos in the province has yet to be addressed.
In the meantime, independent media, such as the Baron, will continue to forge on into the future, taking pictures as they desire.
