Police say 60-year-old Bruce Orydzuk has been charged with “causing disturbance” under the Penal Code after a video has appeared on the internet Orydzuk repeatedly shouted at a security guard to “go back to his country” after the turban-clad guard asked him to leave ownership of a COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Springfield Road on July 13.
Prosecutors also charged Linda Jackson, 56, a resident of Kelowna, with “disorderly conduct or the formality of a meeting” after a video has appeared on the internet of a woman, allegedly Jackson, reading vaccine statements behind a live microphone during an informal Memorial Day ceremony at the city’s cenotaph last November.
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing some 75 by 100 protesters by truck.
Jackson will appear in Kelowna District Court on May 19, while Orydzuk is scheduled to appear in court on May 26.
Both men are known for their small but vocal group of vaccine protesters who have repeatedly rallied in Kelowna to condemn public health orders.
Orydzuk was also charged last month with “death threats or bodily harm” after verbally assaulting a Global TV reporter at a separate rally against the vaccine last year and will appear in court on Thursday for the charge.
Kelowna RCMP Insp. Adam MacIntosh delivers details of the charges in a public press conference Wednesday (April 13th). (CBC News)
“There is no tolerance for hatred,” said Kelowna RCMP Insp. Adam MacIntosh, at a news conference Wednesday. “Everyone is allowed to protest, everyone is allowed to have their own opinion, but when your actions and views exceed the limits and a criminal investigation is justified, we will investigate.”
MacIntosh said police must balance a person’s right to freedom of speech with the possibility of a criminal offense before filing a case with the BC Attorney’s Office for reconsideration.
“Going upstairs and taking control of a microphone as part of a ceremony is an offense,” he said, adding that to the best of Jackson’s charge under Article 176 (2) of the Penal Code is very rare.
“I have never seen it in person,” he said.
MacIntosh said he expects more COVID-19 concentrations in Kelowna this year.
