Charges dismissed against pair accused of harassing N.S. medical officer during COVID

HALIFAX -

A Nova Scotia judge has dismissed charges against two people accused of harassing the province's chief medical officer during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the case took too long to get to trial.

On March 23, 2022, police said an investigation into protests against COVID-19 restrictions outside the home of Dr. Robert Strang led to charges of criminal harassment against Jeremy MacKenzie and Morgan Guptill.

MacKenzie, founder of the far-right online group Diagolon, and Guptill were also charged with intimidation of a health professional, mischief and making harassing phone calls.

At the time, the Mounties alleged the pair had staged protests over three days on the street where Strang lived in Fall River, N.S., east of Halifax. Published reports showed a handful of people with placards gathered on the street to oppose COVID-19 health protection measures that were still in place at the time.

MacKenzie and Guptill were scheduled to go on trial next week, but provincial court Judge Jill Hartlen decided Wednesday that the case had dragged on for too long.

In 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that most criminal trials must finish within 18 months after a person is charged, and Hartlen decided there had been 19 months of waiting, once delays caused by the defence were considered.

The RCMP have called Diagolon a militia-like network with members who are "armed and preparing for violence." And last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons that Diagolon was a violent, extremist, white nationalist organization.

MacKenzie, who describes himself as the "Raging Dissident," has denied allegations of extremism, saying many of his supporters are firearms enthusiasts who do not belong to any kind of militia. Court documents say he is a 14-year military veteran who served in Afghanistan.

As for Diagolon, MacKenzie says it is his notion of a country that will one day include provinces and U.S. states aligned in a diagonal fashion between Alaska and Florida. MacKenzie has also created a flag for his imaginary country, which features a white diagonal line against a black background.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2024.

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