'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The arrest of journalist David Menzies after trying to ask questions to Canada Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland on the Ontario streets on Monday, January 8, 2024, has sparked outrage online.
Caught on video, the incident showed David Menzies, a journalist at Rebel News, trying to question Freeland about the Canadian government's decision to exclude the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the designated terrorist entity list.
The minister, seen walking down the street in the parking lot of a suburban strip mall in Richmond Hill, Ontario, tried to dodge the reporter’s questions. During the encounter, Menzies, who briefly collided with a police officer, was grabbed by his collar, pushed against a wall, and accused of assault before being placed under arrest.
The clip, shared by several people and viewed over a million times, prompted a stunned social media user to say:
“Wow, this is straight out of a spy movie! Can't believe it's on camera!”
Netizens react to Canadian journalist David Menzies' arrest on camera
A clip showing the arrest of Canadian journalist David Menzies has stunned social media users, who took to comments to slam the Canadian government. Menzies was arrested on Monday while trying to question Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Freeland was reportedly in town along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to mark the fourth year of Iran’s military shooting down Flight PS752, a Ukrainian International Airlines jetliner, killing 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents in 2020.
Menzies, who was waiting for the minister outside the parking lot of a suburban strip mall, was arrested while trying to question her about the government’s decision to leave the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps off the designated terrorist list.
During his brief interaction with Freeland, Menzies, who can be seen carrying his microphone in the parking lot, bumped into a police officer, who accused him of assault. Before arresting the journalist, the unidentified officer said:
"Police — you're under arrest for assault. You pushed me, sir."
Menzies, who denied the allegation, responded:
"I didn't touch a single person. This is a trumped-up charge of assault, folks. I didn't come here to cause any trouble. I came here to do my job and now I'm handcuffed. This is your Canada now, folks. This is the Gestapo taking blackface's orders.”
In the wake of the incident, the clip was shared on social media, prompting reactions from several people who slammed the arrest, including Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, who wrote:
“This is the state of freedom of the press in Canada in 2024.”
Several other people, including the government officials, weighed in on the arrest.
Canada Journalsit David Menzies had prior run-ins with the police
In response to the outrage, a York Regional Police spokesperson told CBC Menzies was released after they determined he did not pose a security risk to the finance minister.
According to the publication, Minister Freeland has been the target of threats in the past and her safety is routinely monitored by police.
According to CBC, Menzies has had run-ins with the law in the past, including a 2021 arrest by Trudeau's protective detail at a Toronto event. Menzies was also arrested for allegedly raising homophobic questions in 2021 with now Canada Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman, who is gay.
