Doctor's Ketchup Protest: Free Speech or Mischief?

0:00It's March 29. Toronto News Today starts now, AI-powered and ready. A London doctor and activist named Taric Lubani just got his mischief charge dropped for spraying ketchup on an MP's office during a protest. He's in Gaza right now on a humanitarian mission, and he's straight up called London Police Bullies on social media for hitting him with the charge in, the first place. This all went down hours after the crown with Drew a similar charge against him from October 2023. Still involving a ketchup protest at the same liberal MP, Peter Fragis-Gottos' office. Lubani and Western University professor David Heep got charged together for the latest stunt, but lawyers say the ketchup washed off in minutes with zero damage. The defense team fired back hard, calling it protected free speech and a key part of Canadian democracy. They accused police of overcharging folks protesting for Palestine and wasting court time on non-crimes saying their clients were fully vindicated, and ready for trial.

1:03London police chief Ty Truong pushed back in a statement, stressing respect for the crown's call, and that officers followed the evidence in law at the time. He reaffirmed support for peaceful protests as a democratic cornerstone. Heep still faces separate charges from another demo at an RBC event with court next month. Cases like this keep testing where protest ends and mischief begins in Canada.