Protesters Get 6 1/2-Year Sentences for Roles in Coutts Border Blockade

Two men have been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for their roles in the blockade of the Canada-U.S. border crossing at Coutts, Alta.
Anthony Olienick showed no emotion while Chris Carbert appeared glum and folded his arms, as the sentence was read out in Court of King’s Bench in Lethbridge, Alta.
Neither are to serve their full sentences, as Justice David Labrenz gave them nearly four years credit for time they have already spent in custody.
Both were convicted of mischief and possession of a firearm dangerous to the public peace, while Olienick was also found guilty of possession of a pipe bomb.
A jury found them not guilty of the most serious charge they faced—conspiracy to murder police officers at the blockade.
The blockade halted traffic at the border crossing for two weeks in 2022 in a protest of COVID-19 rules and vaccine mandates.
Labrenz says while the men believed their cause was worthy, they can’t be allowed to take the law into their own hands.