Shocking video out of Canada shows a reporter being forcefully arrested while trying to do his job.
Rebel News reporter David Menzies was brutally pushed aside and surrounded reportedly by Royal Canadian Mounted Police after he tried to ask Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland a question on the street.
“I came here to do my job, and now I’m handcuffed,” Menzies said of the brazen arrest.
Menzies approached Freeland on Monday in the Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill, according to Rebel News. He asked about Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and why they have not been listed as a terrorist group by the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. This came as a vigil was being held on the fourth anniversary of the downing of Flight PS752 which was shot down by Iran’s military, killing nearly 200 people, including 55 Canadians.
As the reporter walked along with Freeland to get a response, he was sidelined as he tried to pass the RCMP officer who appeared to push into a surprised Menzies before declaring, “You’re under arrest for assault!”
“How am I under arrest? You bumped into me!” the reporter replied, struggling to get free of the group.
The scuffle continued, with Menzies asking why he was being detained and arrested, demanding to get the officer’s name and badge number to no avail.
“Welcome to Blackface’s Canada,” Menzies said, referring to Trudeau, as he was being handcuffed. “This is what they do to journalists. I was merely scrumming Minister Freeland.”
“This is your Canada now folks. This is the gestapo taking Blackface’s orders. Outrageous. And meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is not a terrorist organization,” he added.
True North’s Andrew Lawton gave a detailed account of what could be seen in the now-viral video, sharing on X that “you can see a police officer standing where he knows David Menzies is walking.”
“You can see Menzies pivot away from the pole and officer, who then puts out an arm to stop him. Same officer arrests Menzies for assaulting a police officer. This is an egregious overreach,” he added.
Co-founder, owner, and CEO of Rebel News, Ezra Levant vowed a lawsuit is coming.
2.5 hours.
2.5 million views.
Tomorrow we sue the RCMP for false arrest, false imprisonment and assault.
Help us fight back at https://t.co/BHTruvhJfV — thanks. https://t.co/2faiDQrjTI
— Ezra Levant (@ezralevant) January 9, 2024
Lawton later posted on X, confirming that the reporter was released without any charges being filed.
Have confirmed that Menzies was released without charges.
— Andrew Lawton (@AndrewLawton) January 9, 2024
The video of the incident, which has been viewed over 3.5 million times, even caught the attention of X owner Elon Musk who responded to someone who noted Menzies was “falsely arrested on a trumped up charge.”
Sure looks that way. Fine for the officer to body block someone trying to get close to a senior government official, but false to say that he deliberately assaulted an officer.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 9, 2024
Levant, meanwhile, was noting Tuesday how the journalism advocacy groups and media seemed mum on the incident.
Just checked in on @cancivlib. Not a peep from them about David Menzies being arrested and assaulted. They have other “civil liberties” priorities — mainly transgenderism.
— Ezra Levant (@ezralevant) January 9, 2024
The Independent Press Gallery of Canada was “shocked” to see the journalist “arrested for assaulting a police officer in spite of video evidence showing no such thing.”
“Police are there to uphold the law and public safety, not to prevent politicians from being asked questions by journalists who the government will not permit to ask questions in official settings,” Lawton, the president of the Independent Press Gallery said in a statement, calling “on police, particularly those tasked with protecting elected officials, to cease the practice of arresting working journalists who are not posing a threat to public safety or breaking the law.”
The outrage on social media was palpable and undoubtedly there will be more on the story in the days to come.
The courts will now have to go back and investigate every charge this RCMP was involved in and all court testimony that resulted in the imprisonment of Canadians given his questionable conduct.
I would believe a good lawyer could show his testimony is not credible. https://t.co/770Wr5PPeI
— Lt. (Retired LAPD) Frank Columbo (@jsam10983741) January 9, 2024
These cops are liars & it’s all on tape.
The cop who grabbed David wasn’t even in uniform & didn’t identify himself before manhandling him.
Chrystia never speaks off script. She doesn’t know how. Just saunters around with that smug look on her face. Disgusting.
— Stacey (@StaceyMonette27) January 9, 2024
“Assault”? As he clearly accidentally bumped into an unidentified male who put himself in his way on PURPOSE! And he even apologized and said excuse me. Officer involved needs to lose his badge. Period. And its all on video
— Chris Sky (@chrissaccoccia1) January 9, 2024
In basketball this is called blocking and it’s a fowl.
In real life, this dude is unmarked (not wearing a badge), obviously standing in the reporters way while reporter is looking the other way, both Chrystia and her help maneuvered out of the way as if they expected this to…
— Hugo (@HugoLevasseur) January 9, 2024
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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