A Canadian police officer who was penalized with 80 hours of unpaid work for donating $50 to the Freedom Convoy protest will appeal the decision.
In a press release, the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) said that Constable Michael Brisco’s appeal will be filed with the Ontario Civilian Police Commission.
“Constable Brisco was exercising his right to freedom of expression when he made a small donation to the Freedom Convoy. He fully believed that the protests were peaceful, and his beliefs were confirmed by the Superior Court, which allowed for the protests to continue, albeit without honking,” noted his lawyer, Sayeh Hassan.
“Canadians including police officers should be able to exercise their right to freedom of expression without being penalized. We are hopeful that the Ontario Civil Police Commission will overturn Constable Brisco’s conviction and uphold his right to freedom of expression.”
Brisco donated on February 8, 2022, through the Freedom Convoy crowdfunding page on GiveSendGo. At the time, the officer was on unpaid leave for refusing to comply with the Windsor Police Force mandatory vaccination against Covid policy.
JCCF described Brisco as a “highly trained and respected police officer with an exemplary record.”
“He has been a police officer for 15 years and has no prior disciplinary record. He is a defender of Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and believes that he was exercising his Charter right to freedom of expression when making the $50 donation to support the Ottawa Freedom Convoy,” JCCF added.
