Pat King (activist)

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Pat King
Born
Patrick James King

1978 or 1979
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
CitizenshipCanadian
OrganizationUnited We Roll (campaign)
Known forWhite-nationalism,
Conspiracy theories,
Anti-COVID-19 lockdown activism

Patrick James King[1] (born 1978 or 1979) is a Canadian far-right activist,[2] and conspiracy theorist[3] from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, who lives near Red Deer, Alberta.

He is known for protesting COVID-19 mandates. He has led the Wexit movement advocating for secession from Canada of Alberta and other western provinces, led the United We Roll movement, and acted as a regional organizer for the Canada convoy protest, which aimed to overthrow the democratically elected government.

King was arrested on February 18, 2022, at the Canada convoy protests in Ottawa and faces multiple charges. He was released on bail on July 18, 2022.

Activism and demonstration

Prior to being ordered by the courts to stop,[4] King was highly active on social media,[5] his Facebook profile had 341,000 followers in July 2023.[6]

Western Canada secessionism

In 2019, King was an organizer of the Wexit movement that advocated for Canada's prairie provinces to secede.[7][8][9][10]

United We Roll

Main article: Yellow vests movement (Canada)

King was a co-organizer,[11] and a driver[12] for the United We Roll yellow vest protest in 2019 and spoke of the importance of a gas pipeline, and the employment benefits of the oil and gas industry.[13][5] He also spoke of the national benefit of the Albertan economy and the lack of support to Albertans in 2019.[13] King later stated that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation distorted the messages of the movement.[14]

Alberta anti-racist counter protest

King was part of a right-wing counter protest to an anti-racist demonstration in Red Deer in 2020 where he was noted for saying: "That’s patriots kicking antifa out of their towns!"[15]

In September 2020, he organized a second counter-protest in Ponoka and threatened violence against anti-racist protests who he characterized as Antifa.[15][16]

COVID-19 pandemic in Canada

See also: COVID-19 protests in Canada

In August 2021, King and Chris Sky visited Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and spoke as part of a No-Vaxx Pass tour, in which they advocated for Canadians to defy the rules about vaccine passports.[17] Also in August, King incorrectly claimed that his actions led to easing of COVID-19 public health measures in Alberta.[18][19][20] His misunderstanding was a result of him misreading court documents rejecting his appeal against a parking ticket.[18] This led to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms stating that: "It is unclear whether Mr. King fully understands the legal process he is involved in."[1]

In October 2021, King broadcast a video, falsely claiming that the Canadian military had set up a base at Black Lake Denesuline First Nation and were forcing COVID-19 vaccinations on women and children.[8] The video went viral, resulting in pressure upon the Athabasca Health Authority and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations to put out statements, correcting the misinformation.[8][21]

In November 2021, King claimed there was no evidence that COVID-19 exists, in a social media message.[22] In December, King said of the public health measures: "The only way this is going to be solved is with bullets."[23]

2021 Federal election

King has accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of stealing the 2021 Canadian federal election and in the lead up to the Canada convoy protest advised his social media followers to stock up on food and supplies as preparation for "what's coming".[24]

Canada convoy protest

King was a regional organizer and one of the highest profile promoters of the 2022 Canada convoy protest in Ottawa.[25][24] Responding to a question about the impact of noise on Ottawa residents, King expressed amusement.[26] In the lead up to the Ottawa protest, MP Jeremy Patzer stated that he had no association with King after meeting him as the protest convoy passed through Swift Current.[27]

King suggested that someone was going to make Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “catch a bullet” one day.[28]

King was arrested on February 18, 2022.[29]

Arrest, charges, and detention

King was arrested on February 18, 2022, during the convoy protests as part of a police operation aimed at peacefully ending the occupation.[30] He broadcast the arrest via his Facebook page.[30] He was charged with mischief, counselling to commit mischief, perjury, obstruction of justice, counselling to disobey a court order, and counselling to obstruct police.[31][32] He was held in the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre.[33]

King was denied bail after the Justice of the Peace determined that there was a substantive likelihood of King reoffending given his criminal history and the overwhelming case presented by the Crown.[31] His lawyer had argued for bail due to the risk that King could catch COVID-19 in jail while awaiting trial. This prompted the judge to address the irony of the situation: "an individual whose raison d'etre is to protest vehemently against public health measures designed to reduce the spread of COVID, would now suggest that the delay or the potential for being infected at a detention centre could impact the court's decision."[34]

On March 24, 2022, an additional four charges were laid against King, who is now co-accused with Tyson George Billings, bringing the new total to ten charges: two counts of obstructing police, two counts of intimidation, one count of counselling intimidation, one count of disobeying a court order, counselling to commit mischief, mischief, counselling to disobey a court order, and counselling to obstruct police.[35] King was granted bail on 18 July 2022, and forbidden from using social media, contacting convoy leaders, or organising convoy-related protests.[4] King's trial is scheduled for November 27, 2023.[36] A request to relocate the trial away from Ottawa was initially rejected by Superior Court justice Kevin Phillip in April 2023. That rejected was set aside in June by Phillip after a decision by the Supreme Court of Canada, two days after his decision, altered the standard by which Justices may deny applications.[37] In July 2023, King was permitted by the courts to restart using social media to fundraise for his legal costs, which had reached $170,000.[6]

Views and conspiracy theories

King has a history of anti-Muslim, white nationalist, and far-right conspiracy theories.[7][25] He has shared videos online promoting the white genocide conspiracy theory,[26][38] including saying on social media "There’s an endgame: It’s called depopulation of the Caucasian race."[24]

King accused the government of Canada of permitting Islamic State terrorists to enter Canada as refugees, of "normalizing pedophilia", and of adopting an immigration policy to “depopulate the white, Anglo-Saxon race.”[7] He has advocated against a carbon tax, arguing that it puts Canadians at an economic disadvantage.[39]

King has said that the only way to end Canadian public health measures against COVID-19 may be achieved "with bullets".[40] King also commented that Justin Trudeau was going to catch a bullet.[40]

In 2021, he claimed that the Holocaust death toll of 6 million was overstated.[41]

Personal life

King was born in 1978 or 1979[42] in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.[14] King lives in Innisfail, Alberta, near Red Deer.[1][14][43]

King has asserted his Métis heritage, specifically affiliating himself with Garden River First Nation, and having family connections to the Thessalon First Nation. However, Garden River Chief Andy Rickar has contested this claim, stating that King has “[he] no ties to Garden River." Furthermore, the local Métis community maintains that he does not meet the criteria for membership in the Métis Nation of Ontario.[34]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Justice Centre statement about "Freedom Fighter Court Victory" video". Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. August 5, 2021. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  2. ^ "Canada protest convoy organizer Pat King denied bail". ABC News. February 25, 2022. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022.
  3. ^ Carpenter, Lorraine (January 27, 2022). "The trucker convoy organizer is an Islamophobic, homophobic conspiracy theorist". Cult MTL. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Ballingall, Alex (July 18, 2022). "Convoy organizer Pat King granted bail after 150 days in jail". thestar.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Freeze, Colin (February 11, 2022). "Convoy protests' key figures count liberal ideas, 'political Islam,' Ottawa's indifference toward the West among their grievances". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Helwig, David (July 8, 2023). "Freedom Convoy activist Pat King back on social media". SooToday.com. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Zhou, Steven (October 30, 2019). "#Wexit Founders Are Far-Right Conspiracy Theorists". www.vice.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Lamoureux, Mark; Zoledziowski, Anya (October 20, 2021). "A Conspiracy Theory Video Went Viral. An Indigenous Community Paid the Price". www.vice.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  9. ^ Bureau, Brigitte (February 6, 2022). "Pat King : les appels à la violence d'un des organisateurs du convoi". Radio Canada. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  10. ^ Mosleh, Omar (November 10, 2019). "Visionary or villain, he's the pied piper of Alberta's Wexit. But is the movement heading in a dangerous". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  11. ^ Cochrane, David (September 14, 2019). "Liberals target NDP seats in opening phase of election campaign". CBC. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  12. ^ Issawi, Hamdi (February 19, 2019). "Protesters greet Alberta-organized convoy on Parliament Hill". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Osman, Laura (February 19, 2019). "What people are saying at the United We Roll protest". CBC. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c Moore, Edward (March 23, 2019). "United We Roll's messages 'distorted': King". saultstar. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Mosleh, Omar (October 2, 2020). "What's it like to be a person of colour in Alberta? For some, it means facing overt racism, cruel comments and". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  16. ^ Smith, Charlie (February 17, 2022). "Vaccine-mandate opponent and convoy organizer Pat King describes growing police presence in Ottawa". The Georgia Straight. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  17. ^ Palmer, Randy (November 13, 2021). "Duo attends No-Vaxx Pass tour rally in Moose Jaw". MooseJawToday.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Lamoureux, Mark (August 12, 2021). "Inspiring! Man's Bad Reading Caused Anti-Lockdown Crowd to Tear Itself Apart". www.vice.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  19. ^ Lajka, Arijeta (August 9, 2021). "Alberta did not lift COVID-19 restrictions because of 'freedom fighter'". AP NEWS. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  20. ^ "Fact Check-Alberta court case not linked to lifting of COVID-19 restrictions". Reuters. August 7, 2021. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  21. ^ Mandes, Jeanelle (October 18, 2021). "Statements made in Facebook video are not true, FSIN says | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  22. ^ Dubois, Stephanie (November 22, 2021). "Misinformation in the courtroom: How cases challenging COVID-19 restrictions in Alberta have shifted". CBC. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  23. ^ Helwig, David (February 11, 2022). "The former Sault man at the heart of the trucker convoy". SooToday.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  24. ^ a b c "Was it really about vaccine mandates — or something darker? The inside story of the convoy protests". The Toronto Star. March 19, 2022. ISSN 0319-0781. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  25. ^ a b Dale, Daniel (February 9, 2022). "Fact check: Debunking false claims about the Canadian convoy protests". CNN. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  26. ^ a b "The former Sault man at the heart of the trucker convoy". SooToday.com. February 11, 2022. Archived from the original on February 27, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  27. ^ Simes, Jeremy. "Despite condemnations of 'despicable' actions, convoy support could hurt conservatives: analyst". Regina Leader-Post. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  28. ^ "Emergencies Act inquiry hears from protester Pat King, 'Freedom Convoy' lawyer". November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  29. ^ ""Freedom Convoy" leader Pat King arrested live on social media". Archived from the original on February 24, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  30. ^ a b Payne, Elizabeth (February 18, 2022). ""Freedom Convoy" leader Pat King arrested live on social media". ottawacitizen. Archived from the original on February 24, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  31. ^ a b "'Freedom Convoy' leader Pat King denied bail, remains in jail". CBC. February 24, 2022. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  32. ^ "'Freedom Convoy' leader Pat King charged with perjury, obstruction of justice". Ottawa. April 19, 2022. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  33. ^ Reynish, Dan. "More charges for Medicine Hat 'Freedom Convoy' organizer Tamara Lich". CHAT News Today. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  34. ^ a b Helwig, David (February 28, 2022). "Pat King worries about catching COVID-19 in an overcrowded jail". SooToday.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  35. ^ Priscilla Ki Sun Hwang, Trevor Pritchard (March 24, 2022). "'Freedom Convoy' leaders face new criminal charges". CBC. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  36. ^ Osman, Laura (July 24, 2023). "Criminal trial for 'Freedom Convoy' organizer Pat King trial to begin in November". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  37. ^ "Two convoy protesters win right to new change of venue hearings". Ottawa Citizen. June 17, 2023.
  38. ^ Cullen, Catherine (May 16, 2022). "Conservatives condemn racist conspiracy theory, attack each other over Buffalo shooting". CBC. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  39. ^ "'We've been treated unfairly': Truck convoy sets off from Alberta to protest Ottawa's oil and gas policies". CBC. February 14, 2019. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  40. ^ a b Ballingall, Alex (February 25, 2022). "'Freedom Convoy' organizer Pat King denied bail". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  41. ^ Ling, Justin. "The problem with Ottawa's protesters". POLITICO. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  42. ^ Ballingham, Alex (July 13, 2022). "Convoy organizer Pat King seeks bail after almost four months behind bars". thestar.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  43. ^ "Convoy organizer Pat King to remain in custody until at least Friday". saultstar. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
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