“I feel kind of vindicated,” Sa’d told CBC Hamilton on Tuesday morning. The charges related to a Ford rally at Hamilton Airport on May 26. Sa’d said she had RSVP’s to attend the event, which was held before the June 2 Ontario election. She is known for creating cartoons and videos criticizing politicians and people protesting public health measures. Sand said she was not there as a protester but as a political commentator. She said someone from Ford’s group asked her to leave and called police when she refused. “You are not invited to this event … we know you are not here for the right intentions,” one person said to Sa’d in a video posted on Twitter. The person appeared to be wearing headphones, but their relationship was unclear. So far, no one has come up with a legitimate reason why I can’t attend this event. pic.twitter.com/zXGPoZ7s3H —@CarymaRules Hamilton police previously said Sand did not leave despite numerous odds, prompting an officer to arrest her for trespassing — failing to leave the premises when ordered. Sa’d said she was removed from the property before being released and given a $65 ticket. The airport told CBC Hamilton that it was the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) who approached them and asked the airport to have officers apply the Trespass to Property Act (TPA) “to remove the protesters from its property.” . The OPP said the officers were just doing their jobs and enforcing the TPA, which states police must act on any activity designated by the airport as prohibited activity. In this case, the OPP says, it was the airport that said protests were prohibited. Meanwhile, Hamilton police, the agency responsible for the arrest of lawyer Sa’d on behalf of the OPP, previously would not respond to questions about the situation, other than that officers are enforcing the TPA. The arrest has left groups such as the Criminal Lawyers Association (CLA) “concerned” and raising questions about whether Hamilton officers were acting on orders given by Premier Doug Ford’s security, whether Sand’s rights were being breached and what impact the PC party might have.
“There is no reasonable possibility of conviction”
Prosecutor Sean Ramage said Tuesday that there was a request to drop the charge because there was no “reasonable likelihood of conviction.” James Bowie, the Ottawa-based lawyer representing Sand, said someone must have decided Sand was in violation, but who it was is unclear. He added notes from the arresting officer do not reveal who made the decision. A video shared by Sa’d appears to show her arrest outside the rally for PC leader Doug Ford in Hamilton on May 26. (Caryma Sa’d/Twitter) Bowie said his disclosure request “included a request to the rightful occupier, the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, to know which person decided to remove Ms. Sand.” He also asked if Ford was the one who made the call, he said. “Our request was never answered. The Premier of Ontario refuses to say whether he is the one who accused Ms. Sa’d of this offense or not… Caryma Sa’d never knew who her accuser was.” CBC Hamilton has reached out to the provincial government and Hamilton police for comment.
“I don’t know that the story is over yet”
Sand said there are still “many unanswered questions” and believes she was arrested for political dissent. She said the Ford administration’s failure to respond to her lawyer’s request is “disappointing.” “The provincial leader must be accessible to his constituents,” he said. “I don’t know that the story is over yet.” Sa’d said it is working to determine other legal options, including a dispute over whether charter rights were violated.
