Border blockade participant found guilty

Your reading list

A controversial Alberta pastor has been found guilty in connection with his actions at the Coutts border crossing blockade in February 2022.

Judge Gordon Krinke found Artur Pawlowski guilty of mischief and breach of release in connection with the two-week blockade.

Pawlowski, 50, was arrested Feb. 7, 2022, on criminal code charges of breaching his release conditions stemming from earlier allegations along with mischief. He was also charged under the provincial Critical Infrastructure Defence Act for impeding the highway leading to Coutts.

Read Also

Using artificial intelligence in agriculture starts with the right data

Good data is critical as the agriculture sector increasingly adopts new AI technology to drive efficiency, sustainability and trust across all levels of the value chain.

Krinke found Pawlowski had taken part in the blockade, which he had earlier ruled was an illegal act. However, Krinke highlighted he wouldn’t issue a conviction until a question of constitutionality of the provincial legislation is rectified.

The charges stemmed from his role in the Coutts border blockade and an impassioned speech given at the Smugglers Saloon, which acted as the headquarters and supply depot for protesters leading the demonstrations against COVID-19 health restrictions.

During his trial earlier this year, the court was presented with a video of that speech, in which Pawlowski encouraged protesters to maintain their blockade of the border and comparing Coutts to the Alamo.

Premier Danielle Smith commiserated with Pawlowski just prior to the trial, according to a recorded conversation between the two released by the Alberta NDP.

Despite the sympathetic tone of that conversation, Smith described Pawlowski as a person who “holds some very extreme views that I disagree with completely” during her province-wide radio broadcast following the release of the call.

Contact alex.mccuaig@producer.com