The
arrest of Rebel News reporter David Menzies on Jan. 8 while attempting to question Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland about Canada’s stance on Iran has caught the attention of tech mogul Elon Musk.
Mr. Musk, who owns social media platform X, was quick to weigh in on the video of the arrest, which was widely circulated on the platform.
“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,” he
said in a Jan. 8 post on X.
Mr. Musk’s comment was in response to the video of the arrest, which was posted by another journalist who said Mr. Menzies “was falsely arrested on a trumped up charge of assaulting an officer.”
Mr. Musk responded, “Sure looks that way.”
In a
video published by Rebel News, Mr. Menzies is seen walking alongside Ms. Freeland and a companion, asking why Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has not been listed as a terrorist organization.
The deputy prime minister and the woman accompanying her were on their way to an event commemorating the anniversary of Iran’s shooting down of Ukrainian flight PS752 in 2020. The tragedy
killed all 176 occupants, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 Canadian residents.
Ms. Freeland continued walking while being questioned, without responding to Mr. Menzies. The video then shows a man in plain clothes intercepting and blocking Mr. Menzies.
The man, who later identified himself as a police officer, is then shown grappling with and pushing Mr. Menzies before telling him he’s under arrest as other officers surround them.
The officer accused Mr. Menzies of assault, saying the Rebel News reporter “pushed into” him.
Mr. Menzies repeatedly asks the officer for his name and badge number, but the officer did not respond.
Another officer told Mr. Menzies he was “very aggressive,” to which Mr. Menzies responds, “You mean I was asking questions aggressively?” Mr. Menzies maintained he had not touched anyone, but the officers insisted he was “pushing everybody over.”
Mr. Menzies was handcuffed by uniformed York Regional Police officers and taken to a police car. He was released without charges later in the day, Rebel News confirmed.
‘Overreaction’
Reaction to the arrest video has been swift with several high-profile politicians and celebrities weighing in on social media.Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre was one of the first to speak out against the arrest.
“This is the state of freedom of the press. In Canada. In 2024. After eight years of Trudeau,” Mr. Poilievre said Jan. 8 on X. Mr. Poilievre, on Jan. 9, shared a link to a Conservative
petition dubbed: “STOP censoring Canadian journalists”
“A journalist was arrested for questioning a Liberal minister, and the Parliamentary Press Gallery doesn’t say a word,” the Tory leader said in his
post. “Trudeau has divided media into two groups: those he’s bought off with bailouts and those he censors and has arrested.”
Laureen Harper, who is married to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, posted a Rebel News clip of the plain-clothes officers talking to Mr. Menzies, calling the way they handled the situation an “overreaction.”
“Police colleges should show this footage to trainees on what not to do,” she said in a Jan. 8 X post. Conservative MP Jeremy Patzer described the incident as “absolutely shameful,” while fellow Tory MP Michelle Rempel Garner said the arrest should never have happened. “I find theatrical gotcha journalism tiresome but he’s entitled to his approach. (I’ve certainly faced similar scenarios on many occasions on my way into Question Period from the PPG during my time as an MP),” she wrote Jan. 8 on X. “The intervention here by police is unwarranted / egregious.” Canadian producer and former TV show host Ben Mulroney, the son of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, said there is a bigger issue at play than support for or dislike of a particular media outlet.
“Look, this is pretty simple stuff: one’s personal opinions about Rebel News don’t matter,” he said in a Jan. 9 post on X. “You either believe in freedom of the press or you don’t.” American journalist and author James O'Keefe also re-posted the Rebel News video.
“‘Assault’ for asking tough questions,” he said in his Jan. 9 post. “This is what’s next for America, unless we all step up!” Ottawa criminal defence attorney David Anber cautioned those on social media who may not like Rebel News not to dismiss the situation as irrelevant because they aren’t fans of the media outlet.
“If you look at the headline or thumbnail to this story and then dismiss watching the video (or you watch it and don’t care) ‘because it’s Rebel News,’ that’s a good litmus test that you’re the bad guy in any political debate you’re involved in,” he said in a Jan. 9 post to X. Rebel News publisher Ezra Levant also took to social media to have his say.
“Police in Canada haven’t arrested a single pro-Hamas protester, not even the ones uttering death threats,” he said in a Jan. 8 post to X. “But one independent journalist dares to ask a cabinet minister about it, and he’s assaulted, handcuffed, arrested and marched to a police car.” Mr. Levant said on Jan. 9 that his media outlet plans to sue Ms. Freeland, the RCMP, and York Regional Police for “false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and assault.” “Freeland will spend a million tax dollars fighting us. So we could sure use your help,” he added, referring to Rebel News’ crowdfunding campaign to cover the legal fees.
The RCMP told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that it is currently looking into the incident.
“RCMP protective policing resources were involved in an incident while deployed on a protective operation,” spokesperson Sgt. Kim Chamberland said. “The RCMP is looking into the incident and the actions of all parties involved. No further comment is available at this time.”
The Epoch Times contacted the York Regional Police for comment but didn’t hear back. The Epoch Times also contacted the offices of the prime minister and the deputy prime minister but did not receive a response by publication time.
Omid Ghoreishi contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: This article was updated to add comments from the RCMP.
