Queers for Palestine files defence against CN lawsuit
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/02/2024 (605 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
LAWYERS for protesters who blockaded the Canadian National main line in Winnipeg last fall to support Palestinians say the railway’s lawsuit against them is a strike against free speech.
“The named defendants say that the plaintiff’s action is a strategic lawsuit filed and maintained for the purpose of discouraging expression on, and participation in, matters of public interest,” reads a statement of defence filed Feb. 12 by lawyers for local members of Queers for Palestine.
They note a “significant financial power imbalance” between CN and the protest group.
FREE PRESS FILES
CN Rail alleges the Queers for Palestine blockade of The Forks rail bridge caused the company financial hardship.
CN Rail alleged in a statement of claim filed in Court of King’s Bench last year, that it suffered financial damages and customers faced increased shipping costs during the Nov. 20 blockade, which was organized by the local branch of Queers for Palestine.
It targeted CN freight shipments for Israel-based Zim Integrated Shipping Services amid the Israel-Hamas war.
CN said the five-hour blockade on the railway bridge at The Forks on Nov. 20, 2023, stopped 16 freight trains and two Via Rail passenger trains that carried a total of 176 passengers.
The statement of defence, filed by lawyer Matthew Raffey on behalf of two named defendants and persons unknown who are also being sued, denies CN’s allegations.
The railway alleged named defendants Dasha Plett and Leah Chochinov trespassed while organizing and participating in the blockade. They deny that and argue CN must prove its allegations.
“The plaintiff’s claims for damages are animated by a punitive or retributory purpose,” reads the statement of defence.
The named defendants deny participating in the blockade as well as the allegation they had refused to leave CN property.
In the statement, they deny causing economic damage to the railway and seek to have the lawsuit dismissed.
In its court filing, CN said the main line that was blocked carries more than $350 million worth of goods each day for 90 or more customers on trains that have 110 to 190 containers.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
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Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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