Convoy participant Pat King was involved in the planning and logistics of the Freedom Convoy protest, despite organizers denying his involvement, according to court documents obtained by CTV News.
Freedom Convoy organizer Chris Barber and King were in constant contact, texting and calling each other routinely, according to information police seized from Barber’s phone.
Those messages show that Barber initially contacted King on Jan. 14, two weeks before the convoy’s arrival in Ottawa, where he offered to add King as an admin on the “Take Back Our Freedoms Convoy 2022” Facebook page.
According to the documents, organizer Tamara Lich called a meeting with Barber and King on Jan. 18 and asked King directly about his network of contacts involved in the protest.
“Can you get me a meeting with the road captains?” Lich asked on January 18. “Can you give me an idea of how many pilots each captain supervises?”
King was also included in a series of group texts with the convoy organizers, outlining the strategy and logistics. King’s involvement ranged from spreading information about the protest on his podcast, giving updates on Facebook and providing roadside food as the convoy crossed Canada.
As the convoy protest gained more attention, questions related to King’s earlier comments online began to surface. Barber received several messages from supporters of the protest, highlighting his concerns.
“Hey Chris I’m still following you guys but Twitter is freaking out because Pat King said things that made it sound violent,” he messaged Barber via TikTok on January 25.
A day later, Lich also echoed King’s concerns.
“If you don’t stop now and right now, you have to go home, Chris. Honestly, I hate doing it. I think a part of his heart is in this for the right reasons, but he will bring this whole thing down.”
In a video sent to Barber, King is heard saying, “The only way this is going to be solved is with bullets.”
King has also expressed support for the “White Replacement Theory,” a conspiracy theory that promotes fears that Caucasians are being replaced by various means.
As the convoy protest in Ottawa progressed, Barber began to express his own concerns about his association with King and the need to distance the movement from him.
“Pat King needs to go home,” Barber wrote in a Feb. 2 message to local Alberta convoy organizer Glen Carritt.
On the morning of February 10, King and other supporters slowed vehicles around Ottawa International Airport, limiting access. Barber texted King that the airport was “too clogged, we want a presence but not shut down.” King responded by saying that the slow roll was complete, but wondered why Barber was messaging him since “I have nothing to do with you guys, I thought.”
There are several missed calls from King to Barber during the last week of the Ottawa protest. However, the two men remained in contact until Barber was arrested on February 17.
Barber is currently out on bond in Saskatchewan. He is charged with counseling mischief, intimidation, counseling bullying, police counseling obstruction, and police obstruction.
Following his arrest on February 18, King remains behind bars in Ottawa and faces charges of mischief, mischief counseling, mischief counseling, and counseling to obstruct police.
Lich is back in an Ottawa jail after the Crown alleged he breached his bail by contacting the convoy’s spokesman, Tom Marazzo, at an event in Toronto. He faces a new charge of failure to acknowledge, as well as previous charges of mischief, mischief counseling, police obstruction, counseling to obstruct police, counseling intimidation, and intimidation by blocking and obstructing one or more roads in connection with the protest.