Billings spent 116 days in jail before pleading guilty to counseling for wrongdoing. Other charges, including intimidation, police obstruction, disorderly conduct and disobedience to a court order, have been dropped by the Crown. “I do not regret it. I am a freedom fighter,” Billings said outside the court, minutes after his release, to the delight of some 50 supporters, including some who took part in the February protests. Nicknamed “Freedom George” by fellow protesters, Billings was a key figure in the three-week protest against COVID-19 restrictions and the federal government, although Crown Adviser Moiz Karimjee made it clear that he was not a by the leaders. Protesters on large platforms and other trucks blocked roads for weeks, setting up camps, forcing businesses to close and creating a sense of what police and politicians described as “lawlessness” in central Ottawa. According to the agreed-upon statement of events read aloud in court, Billings was videotaped on social media to monitor police checkpoints designed to keep people out of downtown Ottawa during the protest and to encourage others also block checkpoints. Billings also described himself as militant with police and encouraging other protesters to “hold the line”. “I’m caught up to this moment, for sure, who would not do it,” Billings said after leaving court. “I do not regret anything.” Karimjee told the court he could have sought to substantiate the other allegations against Billings and seek a longer prison sentence, but chose not to do so because Billings is the first escort figure to take responsibility. for his actions. Billings was sentenced to six months in prison on the condition that he keep the peace. “You should not make the law, regardless of your views on various issues,” Karimjee said. Prior to his release, Billings heard the trial from the prisoner’s box with his arms crossed over his black T-shirt, which read “Fear God, Not COVID.” Billings was initially charged with prominent protest organizer Pat King. Now that the rest of Billings’s charges have been dismissed, King will face these charges on his own and his trial is expected to proceed as planned. This Canadian Press report was first published on June 15, 2022.
